Process Improvement

Process improvement is about making any process better, not just workaround solutions to fix what is broken or managing crises. It is a way of looking at how we can do our work better.

When we engage in true process improvement, we seek to learn what causes things to happen in a process and to use this knowledge to reduce variation, remove activities that contribute no value to the product or service produced, and improve customer satisfaction. A team examines all of the factors affecting the process: the materials used in the process, the methods and machines used to transform the materials into a product or service, and the people who perform the work.

A standardized process improvement methodology allows us to look at how we perform work. When all of the major players are involved in process improvement, they can collectively focus on eliminating waste—of money, people, materials, time, and opportunities. The ideal outcome is that jobs can be done cheaper, quicker, easier, and—most importantly—safer.

Here are some efforts to Process Improvement:

Step 1: Select a process and establish the process improvement objective

Step 2: Put a team together

Step 3: Flow chart the current process

Step 4: Simplify the process and make changes

Step 5: Measurement - Develop a data collection plan The team should ask: Will the data collected at this point help us decide what to do to improve the process?

Step 6: Is the process stable?

Step 7: Is the process capable?

Step 8: Identify root causes for lack of capability

Step 9: Plan to implement the process change

Step 10: Modify the data collection plan, if necessary

Step 11: Test the change and collect data Step

Step 12: Is the modified process stable?

Step 13: Did the process improve?

Step 14: Standardize the process and reduce the frequency of data collection

You should always document the lessons learned during the process improvement effort and making the information available to others.