Why can a strong, and capable, continuous improvement program still struggle to secure or maintain funding?

That is the question Jeff Roussel, Chief Revenue Officer at KaiNexus, will address in our upcoming webinar, “Why Great CI Programs Don’t Get Funded—and What to Do About It.”

In a short preview discussion, Jeff joined Mark Graban to explain one common reason: CI leaders and executives may be talking about two different problems.

Translate the operational problem

Continuous improvement leaders often manage hundreds—or even thousands—of projects involving many people across an organization.

They may need better ways to coordinate the work, track progress, report results, and prevent improvement efforts from getting lost. Those are legitimate operational problems.

But they do not always sound like urgent organizational problems to the executives deciding where to invest.

As Jeff explained, CI leaders may struggle to translate their daily challenges into the language of the issues executives feel responsible for solving.

The first step is recognizing that communication gap.

Position CI as a business outcome engine

Jeff argues that continuous improvement should not be presented merely as a better way to manage improvement activity. It should be positioned as a business outcome engine.

In other words, the case for funding should connect CI directly to the organization’s priorities and mission.

That may include financial performance, but it can also include:

• Safety
• Quality
• Customer satisfaction
• Employee engagement
• Strategic execution

Not every improvement needs to produce a large, precisely calculated financial return. But the collective work should matter to the organization.

Jeff summarized the test with a useful question:

"Did the improvements matter to our mission?"

Watch the preview and join the webinar

In the preview discussion, Mark and Jeff talk about:

• Why operational pain may not persuade executives to invest
• How CI leaders can reframe the problem they are trying to solve
• Why project counts alone do not demonstrate organizational value
• How to connect improvement work to business and mission outcomes

Jeff will explore these ideas in greater detail and share practical approaches CI leaders can use when making the case for investment.

Join us live on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern for “Why Great CI Programs Don’t Get Funded—and What to Do About It.”

Watch the preview discussion and register for the full webinar.