Continual Improvement
Continual improvement is not simply a process or a system. It is a philosophy that requires every individual within an organisation, from top management to shop floor workers, to adopt a mindset of constantly seeking to identify opportunities for improvements to any element of operations to increase efficiency and improve quality.
Improvement opportunity ideas and suggestions can arise from a range of sources including:
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Inputs from employees or other stakeholders
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Customer feedback
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Market research data
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Findings from audits of the quality system (both internal and external)
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Internal records relating to non-conformances
Any improvements are beneficial to a company, including major one-off step changes. However, by their nature, large dramatic changes take place infrequently and are the result of management decisions backed up by significant investment.
In contrast, smaller, continual changes that individually may have limited effect, build up over time into major positive changes. Often these changes are instigated by individuals within the company, sometimes in junior roles, giving them a vital sense of ownership and involvement in the process, which enhances accountability.
For continual improvement to be effective, management must define the objectives and develop a clear strategy to guide the process. However, key to the success is the commitment of the entire workforce.
The most effective tool for the implementation of continual improvement is the PDCA cycle.
This is a four-stage process as follows:
Stage 1 – Plan
Planning the proposed improvement is the critical initial step. At this stage the measures for success are agreed. The objectives and processes required to deliver the result are formulated and a timetable is established.
Stage 2 - Do
The plan is actioned on a small scale initially to assess the impact. This is effectively a test and is designed to minimise disruption.
Stage 3 - Check
This is the monitoring, measuring and reviewing process and is used to assess how the test aligns with the planned objectives. This phase also assesses any impact on quality to ensure conformance.
Stage 4 – Act
On satisfactory completion of the check phase, the final stage is to scale up this change and embed it within standard operations.
The PDCA cycle is iterative and is key to the continual improvement process. Mistakes will be made but the PDCA cycle will identify problems and resolve these through repeated cycles.
When effectively executed, continual improvement confers a wide range of benefits including improved quality; heightened staff morale and engagement; increased output; greater resource efficiency and increased profitability.