When it comes to improvement projects, it is also true that careful selection of questions can significantly improve the odds of "winning," also known as producing positive change. What follows are 20 questions, that if considered at the outset, can help set your improvement project up for success.
Strategic alignment is the most effective way to prioritize improvement work. If a project doesn't advance a central objective, it should probably be set aside for one that is more on target.
A central principle of continuous improvement is that small gains, repeated consistently, are the way to achieve business success. Make sure the scope of each improvement is narrow enough to achieve positive change in short order.
Before work begins, make sure the scope, the resources required, and the desired end state are well understood and documented.
Executives don't need to be involved in every improvement project, but they are essential when it comes to removing obstacles and providing resources.
It is essential to be very specific about the intended benefits of each improvement and how it will be documented and tracked over time.
Whether you are using improvement management software or spreadsheets and email (not recommended), it should be clear to everyone how technology will be used to capture information, communicate with team members, and document each step of the process.
Are there difficult stakeholders? Is the current process poorly documented? Are external factors likely to be an issue? The more you know about what might block your progress, the better you can prepare ahead of time.
It is common for process change to impact more people than just the process operators. Be sure to consider the up and downstream impacts of each project.
Speaking of stakeholders, continuous improvement is a team sport. Ensure that each project includes the operators, subject matter experts, and internal customers necessary to get the desired results.
We highly recommend the 5 Why's technique for getting to the heart of a problem. This helps avoid Band-aid solutions that can cause more problems than they solve.
One effective way to ensure that improvements are sustained is to operate under Standard Work. Every task is performed to the new Standard until it is revised following another improvement cycle.
Another way to ensure improvement is sustained is to set a time-table for checking results to ensure that old problems don't creep back into the process.
Not all improvement projects call for the same set of tools, so consider whether you will use an improvement cycle like PDSA or DMAIC and what other tools such as A3 documents and control charts will be useful.
In the ideal case, your organization has a database of past improvement projects. Is there one similar to the project at hand? What were the lessons learned from that previous experience?
Some projects require only a conference room and the participants' time, while others require special equipment and budget. A comprehensive list of anticipated resource requirements will help streamline the project.
Ideally, at least some process operators will be involved in the improvement project. A plan for training others on the new Standard is needed.
We mentioned learning from past projects, be sure to pass what you discover along to the next team by documenting the experience carefully in an accessible platform.
Be sure to get clear expectations from leaders about how the results of the project should be communicated.
A project calendar is a helpful tool for any project lasting more than a few days. It is also useful to have a calendar of all improvement projects to avoid any resource conflicts.
Recognition is something that too often gets neglected. Building it into the project plan ensures that those who contribute to success will know they are appreciated.
If you have solid answers to each of these questions at the outset, you can be confident that the work you do will provide value, strengthen the organization's body of knowledge, and generate lasting impact.