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What is Continuous Improvement?

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Table of contents
What is Continuous Improvement?
The Continuous Improvement Model
Core Principles of Continuous Improvement
Ideas from employees are valuable
Minor changes are more important than major paradigm shifts and new inventions
Incremental improvements are usually very affordable
The CI model is a way for leaders to address employee grievances
Reflection is key to improvement
Empowered employees take responsibility and participate in improvements
Approaches to Continuous Improvement
Six Sigma
LEAN
Six Sigma’s approach to Continuous Improvement Privacy - Terms

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The LEAN Roadmap to Continuous Improvement

In conclusion
Related Articles

What is Continuous Improvement?

Continuous improvement is a method to identify opportunities for streamlining work,
reducing waste and variation in processes. This practice was made popular by LEAN and
Six Sigma, which are used worldwide to find savings opportunities. Combining the
methodologies of LEAN and Six Sigma yields impressive results. .

Continuous improvement is like religion. It may seem simple, but leaders and teams that
aren’t familiar with process improvement techniques will have trouble sustaining it. This
mindset can only be implemented if you have a clear understanding of continuous
improvement and the principles that you should follow.

LEAN Continuous Improvement; Six Sigma Continuous Improvement

The Continuous Improvement Model

Continuous improvement can seem very abstract, especially if it is not used in a specific
context. It is the constant pursuit of perfection in all you do. Continuous improvement in
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LEAN management is also called Kaizen.

Kaizen was developed in Japan just after the Second World War ended. It became a hugely
popular manufacturing tool and was one of the main pillars of Toyota’s rise to become the
world’s largest automobile manufacturer.

Continuous improvement is a key concept in LEAN and Lean Six Sigma. It aims to
continuously improve all processes within your company, focusing on activities that create
the most value for customers and removing wasteful activities.

Core Principles of Continuous Improvement

Ideas from employees are valuable

Continuous improvement relies heavily on employees to find opportunities for
improvement and not just top management. Because employees are closer to the problem
and therefore better equipped to solve it, this bottom-up improvement model is highly
effective.

Engage your staff. Asking everyone within the organization for ideas on how to improve
their patient care or create new product lines is unlikely to result in anything. Staff
members are more focused on their daily work. They are not able to produce extensive
ideas on their own.

Instead, ask your employees what improvements they can make to save 5 minutes per
day. Next, empower them to implement the improvement and share it with everyone in
the company. This allows you to take an idea from anyone and make a significant
impact. Let’s say that you have ten employees and get one idea. Each employee saves five
minutes each day. This is a total of ten ideas. You can share all ten ideas with one hundred
employees to save fifty minutes per day (each idea x 5 minutes).

Asking people to share a small idea that takes 5 minutes and spreading their ideas
throughout the organization will save you 3.4 years of manpower. Imagine how much
money you could save by asking everyone for a five-minute idea!

Minor changes are more important than major paradigm shifts and
new inventions
Because significant organizational changes can feel scary and destabilizing, this concept is
crucial. The continuous improvement model reduces fear and speeds up improvement by
approaching change in small, incremental steps. This principle allows organizations to
move forward without waiting for a major shift in strategy or new product releases. Privacy - Terms

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It is worth looking into any idea that reduces waste, speeds up production, and allows
employees to learn new skills. This approach also opens the possibility of small-scale
improvements to processes that will allow employees to do their best work.

Incremental improvements are usually very affordable

Employees are more likely to make small, cost-effective changes. Employees are more
likely to suggest ways to eliminate process steps than add them. This is a fantastic way to
make sure that each activity adds value to the customer and reduces effort.

The CI model is a way for leaders to address employee grievances

They see them as opportunities to improve. It’s a positive thing when a member of the
team notices something wrong and does something about it. The first step in the
improvement process is gathering employee ideas. A culture for improvement takes it
further. Employees are given a method to report and act on ideas that can save money,
improve processes, and satisfy clients. They provide the structure and systems for
employees to do so. And they reward those who make the organization better, one step at
a time.

People are often told to not complain about things unless they are prepared to do
something about them. It’s fair when they have something to do. Leaders who are good at
leading people give them that chance.

Reflection is key to improvement

Continuous improvement is based on constant feedback. Open communication is essential
for both the results and maintaining employee engagement during every stage of
improvement.

This is not easy to do in an improving culture. The visibility that coaches need to keep up
the pace with all those involved in the improvement process is not available. Senior
leaders cannot engage without a considerable time commitment. Meetings are difficult to
schedule, and communication becomes buried in inboxes.

Empowered employees take responsibility and participate in

improvements
It is difficult to get people to modify the same way they have always done it. What makes it
easier? Implementing changes that were initiated at the front lines. People are more likely
to see the benefits of changes when they produce innovative ideas for improving their
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work. Knowing that their peers can make improvements inspires faith in the necessity for
changes.

Engaging your employees in continuous improvement allows them to be more responsible

for their work and you can help them become leaders. They can identify and implement
solutions, take responsibility for their work, and see a tangible impact. Managers are free
to spend more time coaching employees and removing obstacles to the implementation of
changes and taking on the responsibility for improving process management and
improvement.

Employee engagement rises because the continuous improvement model is dependent on

employees contributing ideas to improve the organization. This improves the likelihood of
a successful and sustainable improvement. An improved employee engagement can also
have a positive effect on retention, customer service, and product quality.

Approaches to Continuous Improvement

Six Sigma
Six Sigma is a continuous improvement model that focuses on eliminating variability and
increasing predictability within organizations. Six Sigma aims to produce predictable and
stable process results through clearly defined and measured processes and a commitment
to continuous quality improvement.

Six Sigma is a data-driven, disciplined approach to continuous improvement. Six Sigma is a

system that uses quality management methods that are based on statistical analysis. It
relies on an organization of experts who have been trained in these methods to help them
succeed.

Six Sigma professionals must complete a series of certifications. These belts are identified
by assorted colors, such as karate or Judo. Six Sigma is a system that ensures each role has
a specific responsibility.

Six Sigma, with its certification programs and statistical tools, is a highly structured
continuous improvement program that’s ideal for companies already structured in a
corporate manner.

LEAN
LEAN is a methodology focused on optimizing customer value, reducing waste, and
increasing customer satisfaction. All types of businesses can benefit from the key elements
of Lean. Privacy - Terms

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LEAN not only reduces waste or improves a process but also builds a culture that respects
all employees, allows them to seek opportunities to improve their work, and shares ideas
for continuous improvement.

LEAN has three types of waste:

Muda – The seven wastes

Mura – The wastefulness of inequalities
Muri – The wasteful overburden

MUDA

Muda is made up of seven major process wastes: inventory, motion and transport.

Although it is difficult to eliminate all, focusing on the positive effects they have on your
work is key to implementing continuous improvement.

MURA

Mura can be caused by inconsistency or unevenness in your processes. It is responsible in

large part for the seven wastes of Muda. Mura prevents your tasks from flowing smoothly
through your work process, and thus hinders your ability to achieve a continuous flow.

MURI

Muri is a problem in companies that use push systems. You place too much stress on your
team and your process by assigning too many tasks to them.

Muri is often a result of Mura. If you want continuous improvement to be a part of your
culture, then you must focus on eliminating those wastes.

What is Waste?

LEAN defines “waste” as any product that does not add value. Manufacturing values are
defined as any product that a customer is willing to pay for.

Waste is any cost that is not beneficial to the customer. Lean manufacturing is about
eliminating waste from manufacturing processes.
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The eight wastes of LEAN

1. Transport
2. Inventory
3. Motion
4. Waiting
5. Overproduction
6. Overprocessing
7. Defects

LEAN Continuous Improvement; Six Sigma Continuous Improvement

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Six Sigma’s approach to Continuous Improvement
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The DMAIC method consists of five phases: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and
Control. These phases are the foundation of the DMAIC framework and allow us to
improve a business function or entire organization to achieve effectiveness and
improvement.

DMAIC is data-driven and takes care of every detail. This model provides comprehensive
methods to improve any business function or process. This model can be applied to any
industry or field. It is most well-known for its symbolic contributions and use in Six Sigma,
and Six Sigma.

1. Define The problem, improvement activity, opportunities for improvement, project

goals, and customer (internal or external) requirements.
2. Measure Process performance
3. Analyze The process of determining root causes of variation or poor performance
(defects).
4. Improve Process performance by addressing the root causes.
5. Control The improved process and future performance

LEAN Sigma Continuous Improvement; Six Sigma

Continuous Improvement

The LEAN Roadmap to Continuous Improvement

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Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA)

For continuous improvement, LEAN uses the approach “Plan-Do-Check-Act.”

It is also known as the Deming Circle (named after its founder and American engineer
William Edwards Deming), which is a never-ending cycle designed to help you get better
based on your achievements.

It was initially developed for quality control, but it became an instrument for continuous
improvement.

You must establish the goals and processes that will deliver the desired outputs (or
targets) during the planning phase.

It is important to set output expectations to achieve continuous improvement.

Start small to test the effectiveness of your approach.

The second phase is called “Do”. This phase is easy because you only need to do what you
have planned during the planning stage.

Once you have achieved your goals, it is time to review what you did and how it compares
to what you expected. Collect as much information as you can and think about what you
can do to improve your results next time.

If your analysis shows you have improved over your previous project, then the standard
has been updated and you should aim for even higher performance next time.

If you have failed to improve your results or achieved worse results than you did in the
past, the standard will remain the same as it was before you started the last project.

In conclusion
There are many methods to continuously improve. They all have one thing in common:
analyzing the past to identify what can be improved. Continuous improvement can be
achieved by:
Reduce waste in your processes
Create a positive environment for your team.
Implementing a roadmap (PDCA, DMAIC, or both)
Always look for the root cause of any potential or existing problems
Continuously improve

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