What is Continuous Improvement?

SSDSI Blog

Continuous Improvement

Table of contents

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.

Continuous Improvement
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 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.

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 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.

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.

The eight wastes of LEAN

  1. Transport
  2. Inventory
  3. Motion
  4. Waiting
  5. Overproduction
  6. Overprocessing
  7. Defects
Six Sigma Continuous Improvement
LEAN Continuous Improvement; Six Sigma Continuous Improvement

Six Sigma’s approach to Continuous Improvement

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
LEAN Sigma Continuous Improvement; Six Sigma Continuous Improvement

The LEAN Roadmap to Continuous Improvement

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

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Lean Six Sigma White Belt Online Course

FREE! Lean Six Sigma White Belt Training & Certification


Start your journey to Lean Six Sigma Certification with access to FREE White Belt training (a $99.99 USD value). Complete the four-hour course and pass the exam to receive your certificate.

You have Successfully Subscribed!