Where to Start
Figuring out how to get started with improvement work can sometimes be intimidating. This is where OpExecs can help.
How can I improve my operation while building my team’s capability?
The answer is simple. Start by listening to your customers, document what they are saying, and prioritize the major themes. Continuous Improvement doesn’t have to be complicated, organization-wide or address every problem the organization has at the on-set.
Begin by asking these questions:
Where is the biggest pain?
Pain can be further described as:
- Customers are complaining.
- Cost is substantial / problematic.
- Known problems are easily described.
- Previous improvement efforts have failed to achieve the desired impact.
Where are our most talented resources?
A Continuous Improvement mindset spreads when people see with their own eyes the success it can allow teams to achieve. Therefore, picking projects that have the highest likelihood for success becomes critical when you are just started out. Ask where do we have the best:
- Leaders
- Effective teams that work well together
- Analytical resources and innovative teams
Have we set our team up for success?
Even terrific teams can fail if their leadership does not support the effort, or if the effort doesn’t address one of the key leadership priorities/initiatives.
Where is the top leadership willing to drive Continuous Improvement?
- Effective teams who work well together and are supported by strong leaders should be the first ones selected for an Improvement Project.
- These types of teams will ensure early wins to convince others of the benefit of Continuous Improvement.
- Read this Wall Street Journal article, “Why Companies should hire teams not individuals”, Sydney Finkelstein, October 29th 2017. Business Section.
Go where the energy is the highest!
Finally, to complete the project in a short period of time, ask this:
"Where do you have significant data and knowledge that would lead to effective project selection?"
When new data must be gathered to start a project, it requires experienced, skilled, analytical people who have driven change and improvement before. Wait until your organization has some experience or use external resources to accomplish this data collection exercise first before you undertake an initiative in this area. Otherwise, ask yourself:
“Where do we have: Scorecards, Dashboards or Metrics that are available and utilized."
Project by Project
Continuous Improvement efforts are accomplished project by project. All successful projects require structure:
- a team
- a leader
- a sponsor/champion
If projects are not defined up-front, teams have difficulty scoping the opportunity and attacking it, which causes champions to have difficulty supporting the effort.
To define a project, start with these questions:
- Is this project central to the organization’s goals and objectives?
- Who is the customer or customer segment who will most directly benefit from the project’s execution? Will the customer feel differently if the goals outlined in a project charter are achieved? A customer can be an internal (to the organization) one - the external customer is not always the right one for your project.
- Will the executives responsible for this project and the resources dedicated to its completion feel accountable for its success?
- What is the project scope and can this project scope be executed in 4-6 months?
- Will this project deliver quantifiable results?
- If data that describes the problem is not readily available, will it be available to be gathered within the first 1-2 months of the project?
- Is there an identified process owner who will take over the improvements implemented in the project and own the ongoing control plan documented during the control phase?
- Are the appropriate team members/resources available to ensure this project is successful?
Expert Help is Available
OpExecs can guide you through the process of choosing the right projects, building improvement plans, and training and coaching your teams through execution. Get started today!