Most of the people who come to us looking for improvement software have never evaluated these solutions before. So if you are wondering where to start your selection process, you are in good company. What's important is that you recognize the opportunity to accelerate your organization's improvement by adding technology to support it. There are many solutions on the market, but some are better suited for a CI program than others.

Working with our clients, we've put together a list of the "must-have" features and capabilities. We hope it will be useful during your search.

Bi-Directional Opportunity Capture

One of the core ideas of continuous quality improvement is that everyone should be involved. Some outstanding ideas come from managers and executive leaders; others come directly from the front-line process operators. Improvement software should make it effortless for everyone to submit opportunities for improvement without regard to where they exist on the org chart.

Strategy Deployment

Improvement work should be aligned with the strategic goals and objectives of the organization. When workers understand how their role relates to the overall strategy and vision, they make better decisions and become more engaged. Improvement software should help leaders cascade goals from the top down through each department, team, and, ultimately, every employee.

Dashboards and Visual Management

People understand pictures far more quickly than written text without images. That's why data visualization in the form of huddle boards, kanban signs, control charts, and more has always been an important part of quality improvement. Making the move to digital improvement management should enhance, not complicate, your visualization efforts.

Role-Based Views and Information

The information and visualization needs of people are related to their role. Executives, managers, and front-line workers require different permissions and views. Look for an improvement platform that tailors the experience to each user's function.

Impact, Activity, and Engagement Reporting

It is necessary to have a real-time view into the health of improvement culture across the organization. The technology you select should provide instant insights into who is engaged in improvement, which parts of the organization are most active, and what type of impact the work is having on targeted business metrics.

Active Workflow

Alerts and notifications sent via email serve to keep people engaged and on target with their improvement efforts. Be sure the solution sends messages to let managers know when new opportunities are identified, tasks are completed, and due dates are missed. These alerts help managers serve as improvement coaches.

Email Submission of Opportunities for Improvement

While employees should log into the improvement management software as often as possible, sometimes it is easier for team members to submit opportunities for improvement with email. Making the submission process as convenient as possible helps ensure that no great ideas will be lost.

Configurable Improvements & Projects

Every organization and every improvement project is different. Your improvement management platform should be flexible enough to support your team as your needs change, and new conditions evolve.

Training and Certification Tracking

Many organizations that practice continuous improvement have a structured approach to employee development and training. If that's true for you, look for a solution that allows you to track your employees' certifications and training.

Support for Cross-Functional Collaboration

Organizations frequently find that the improvement efforts with the most significant impact involve cross-functional collaboration. That's because friction usually occurs when work is moved from one function to another. Support for cross-team collaboration is a critical feature of any improvement platform.

Advanced Security

Data security should be a pressing concern for any cloud-based technology you implement. It is specifically vital for improvement software because it will contain sensitive information you want to keep private.

Mobile Apps and Device Independence

People are more likely to engage in improvement work if they can do it on the devices that they use every day. The best improvement solutions offer iOS and Android apps and work just as well on PCs, tablets, and phones.

Expert Support

Features are important when evaluating software, but so is the vendor's ability to support your success. Look for a provider with expert support available and a dedicated customer success agent for your organization.

Self-Service Help

Most people want a self-service approach to support and train when using software, so look for a system with a knowledge center that includes video content for self-paced training. You'll be able to get new team members productive quickly.

This is a rather extensive list, but you'll be making a significant investment, so it is smart to expect a lot from it. If the solution you choose has each of these critical features, you'll be set up for success.