Continual Process Improvement Model

Many strategies and methodologies can be used when focusing on continuous

improvement. Finding the right one for a given industry is important as it will help
maximize the results. All the continual improvement models, however, will focus on
similar types of improvement, as seen in this image:

Making ongoing improvement in performance, commitment, strategy, and process all

help build up the company's bottom line. This image also illustrates that any
improvements in these four categories will also help build up improvement in the
overall quality being produced by the facility.

Plan-Do-Check-Act

Another helpful concept is the "plan, do, check, act" process. This is a cyclical
process that walks a company or group through the four steps of improvement. By
continuing to cycle through these steps, improvement is always being worked on and
evaluated.

Each step builds on the previous step, and then feeds into the next.

 Plan - In the planning phase, teams will measure current standards, come up with ideas
for improvements, identify how those improvements should be implemented, set
objectives, and make the plan of action.

 Do - Implement the plan that was created in the first step. This includes not only
changing processes, but also providing any necessary training, increasing awareness,
and adding in any controls to avoid potential problems.

 Check - Taking new measurements to compare with those taken prior to the change is an
important step here. Analyze those results and take any corrective or preventative
actions to ensure the desired results are being achieved.
  Act - All the data from the change is analyzed by management teams to determine
whether the change will become permanent or if further adjustments are needed. The act
step feeds into the plan step since once a change has been fully implemented, it is time
to begin looking for new ways to make further improvement.

Improvement Strategies

The concept of continuous improvement is an umbrella term covering many

methodologies used to achieve the goal. Choosing the right strategies for a facility
will help maximize results and ensure the long-term success of the efforts. A facility
can choose to have multiple continuous improvement strategies in place at any given
time. Different areas of the company, or even different departments within an area,
can each work off of a separate strategy to maximize results.

Lean & Continuously Improving

Lean continuous improvement is a strategy designed to help eliminate waste

throughout a company. Waste is anything that doesn't add value for the customer. In
many ways, this continuous process improvement strategy works to eliminate
problems rather than directly improve a process. The results are similar, but by
taking a waste-focused approach, it is often easier to come up with goals from which
improvement strategies can be developed.
Value Stream Mapping

Value stream mapping is one of the most important continuous improvement

strategies because it can be used within almost all others. This process looks at the
design and flow of processes within a company to see where value is being added. A
value stream map can also be a great brainstorming tool for areas that could be
improved.

A good value stream map will be very detailed and formatted like a flow chart. It is
utilized to help isolate each of the steps in a process to see where value is being
added and where it is not. This makes it easier to eliminate or modify the areas
where value is either missing or could be increased in the process. The idea of value
stream mapping was originally developed for manufacturing processes, but it can be
adapted to other industries as well.
Kaizen

Kaizen is a popular continual improvement strategy that has been around since the
1980s. This concept helps focus on improvements that are based on making a lot of
small changes rather than fewer larger changes. The ideas for the changes typically
come from the front-line employees rather than the management team or other
planning department. This is effective because those working on the front-line are
directly impacted by problems and will be able to more easily identify where
improvements can be made.

Some of the benefits of Kaizen include:

 Capital Investments - By focusing on smaller, incremental changes, the

company doesn't typically need to come up with significant capital resources
to implement the changes.

 Engaged Workplace - By encouraging employees to contribute the

improvement ideas, they become more engaged.

 Long-term Improvement - Each small improvement made builds on previous

improvements, leading to a snowball effect.

Total Quality Management

Total Quality Management (TQM) began in the manufacturing sector, but has since
been adapted for use in many other environments. It focuses on improving employee
involvement, customer satisfaction, communication, and other key elements for
success within a company. This is a continuous improvement strategy that is often
incorporated into or alongside, other strategies to help maximize the successes.

The 5S Strategy

5S is an organization method that helps identify how a workspace should be

organized to improve efficiency and effectiveness. This is done by identifying what is
needed at each step of a process and ensuring it is immediately available. There are
many ways to do this including organizing tools so they are easy to find, moving
machinery around so that a part flows from one to the next, and ensuring stored
parts or equipment are available when needed.

Kaizen Guide: Better your business with continuous improvement

To be successful, you can’t make an improvement once and forget about it. Effective
lean businesses use kaizen, which means “continuous improvement”. In kaizen,
everyone looks for ways to improve processes on a daily basis. This Kaizen Guide
explains the kaizen mindset, basic kaizen concepts including the PDCA cycle, and
real-world examples.

Continual Improvement Tools

Having the right continuous improvement tools is essential to the long-term success
of any strategy. These tools can be anything that helps ensure the quality
improvement process can move forward successfully.

Some simple examples of this include foam tool organizers to ensure tools are kept
in good working order and stored where they are easy to access. Floor marking
tape is an excellent example of improving visual communication, which can help
improve efficiency and boost safety, which is essential for improvement.

Implementing Continuous Process Improvement

There are many strategies and methodologies available to help companies

implement continual improvement. These are a great way to start since they offer
guidance on taking those first steps, as well as longer-term ideas for how to keep
this strategy moving forward when it becomes more difficult.

Most companies don't strictly implement just one strategy, but rather adapt existing
methodologies to meet their specific needs. Using something like Lean as a base
from which to build on can be a very effective strategy to keep a facility focused on
improvement strategies today and long into the future.