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CHAP 13 Continuous Improvement - The Basics

Continuous improvement requires an organizational strategy and defined structure. A common eight stage structure includes leadership setting objectives, infrastructure support, fact-based methodologies like Lean Six Sigma, an improvement culture, and measurable service/delivery improvements. The DRIVER framework is a closed loop improvement methodology combining Lean, Six Sigma and quality approaches with stages of Define, Review, Investigate, Verify, Execute and Reinforce. Basic tools like flowcharts, check charts, histograms and Pareto analysis are needed to interpret and use data to understand problems, identify causes and help or hinder potential changes. Statistical process control techniques help determine if a process is capable and keep it on target through monitoring and adjustments.

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128 views6 pages

CHAP 13 Continuous Improvement - The Basics

Continuous improvement requires an organizational strategy and defined structure. A common eight stage structure includes leadership setting objectives, infrastructure support, fact-based methodologies like Lean Six Sigma, an improvement culture, and measurable service/delivery improvements. The DRIVER framework is a closed loop improvement methodology combining Lean, Six Sigma and quality approaches with stages of Define, Review, Investigate, Verify, Execute and Reinforce. Basic tools like flowcharts, check charts, histograms and Pareto analysis are needed to interpret and use data to understand problems, identify causes and help or hinder potential changes. Statistical process control techniques help determine if a process is capable and keep it on target through monitoring and adjustments.

Uploaded by

Abraham Soriano
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Continuous

improvement – the
basics
Approaches, methodologies and tools

 Continuous improvement must be linked to organizational strategy, have a defined


structure, a chosen approach, a methodology and an associated tool kit.
 A generic eight stage structure for CI may be applied to most organizations; it
involves: leadership and top down cascade of objectives, supporting
infrastructure, pragmatic, fact-based methodology yielding rapid results (e.g. Lean
Six Sigma), skilled improvers, widely shared continual improvement culture,
circulation of talent, measurable improvements in the service/ delivery areas,
sustained improvement.
The ‘DRIVER’ framework for continuous
improvement
 A fully closed loop improvement methodology, which brings together the best of
Lean, Six Sigma and Cost of Quality approaches is ‘DRIVER’ with the stages of
Define, Review, Investigate, Verify, Execute and Reinforce.
The need for data and some basic tools and
techniques
 Numbers and information will form the basis for understanding, decisions and actions in never-ending improvement – record
data, use/analyse data, act on results.
 A set of simple tools is needed to interpret fully and derive maximum use from data. More sophisticated techniques may need to
be employed occasionally; the effective use of the tools requires the commitment of the people who work on the processes, which
in turn needs management support and the provision of training.
 The basic tools and the questions answered are:
 Process flowcharting – what is done?
 Check/tally charts – how often is it done?
 Histograms – what do variations look like?
 Scatter diagrams – what are the relationships between factors?
 Stratification – how is the data made up?
 Pareto analysis – which are the big problems?
 Cause and effect analysis and brainstorming (also CEDAC and NGT) – what causes the problem?
 Force-field analysis – what will obstruct or help the change or solution?
 Emphasis curve – which are the most important factors?
 Control charts (including cusum) – which variations to control and how?
Statistical process control

 People operating a process must know whether it is capable of meeting the requirements, know whether it is actually
doing so at any time and make correct adjustments when it is not. SPC techniques will help here.
 Before using SPC, it is necessary to identify what the process is, what the inputs/outputs are, and how the suppliers
and customers and their requirements are defined. The most difficult areas for this can be in non-manufacturing.
 All processes can be monitored and brought ‘under control’ by gathering and using data. SPC methods, with
management commitment, provide objective means of controlling quality in any transformation process.
 SPC is not only a tool kit, it is a strategy for reducing variability, part of never-ending improvement. This is achieved
by answering the following questions:
 Are we capable of doing the job correctly?
 Do we continue to do the job correctly?
 Have we done the job correctly?
 Could we do the job more consistently and on target?
 SPC provides knowledge and control of process capability.
 SPC techniques have value in the service sector and in the non-manufacturing areas, such as marketing and sales,
purchasing, invoicing, finance, distribution, training and personnel.

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