These days, almost every company or department is operating with significant budget constraints. Especially when it comes to technology, every dollar must be put to maximum use for the benefit of the organization. Leaders are always looking for ways to save. Yet more and more organizations are willing to secure funding for quality management software.

Why, when spending is so tight, does this technology get approved?

It's because improvement management software gives organizations many advantages that amplify results and ease the path to achieving the most important goals. Here are some of them.

#1 – Quality Improvement Work is Structured

Your organization may be using CQI tools and techniques like PDSA, DMAIC, and Standard work to manage processes. Quality improvement technology gives you a platform to manage those and other tools. Every staff member has one point of focus for improvement efforts and a standard way of documenting and communicating about each project.

#2 – Improvement is an Always-on Proposition

Most leaders believe that every employee can contribute opportunities for improvement, but without a system for collecting them, ideas can be lost. Quality improvement isn't something that happens only in a meeting or during a Kaizen event. Quality improvement software makes it easy for people to document their ideas whenever and wherever they come.

#3 – Everyone Speaks the Same Language

The language we use to describe our work is an integral part of company culture. When everyone uses the same words to describe improvement efforts, the chance for misunderstanding and confusion is minimized. A quality management software platform helps to define a common vocabulary.

#4 – Employees Notice Commitment

Employees know that money is spent on things that are important to management. They are very good at figuring out the difference between leaders who are "all talk" and those who are genuinely committed to an idea. When you invest in quality improvement technology, you send a signal to the organization that improvement work is crucial and will be supported from the top.

#5 – Employee Engagement Improves

There are many ways to track the status of improvement projects without quality management software. Spreadsheets and paper huddle boards top the list. But, neither of these passive approaches has a built-in mechanism for inspiring engagement and, therefore, momentum. CQI software includes active notifications and alerts that make projects hard to ignore. Managers know when deadlines are approaching and can intervene when progress is stalled.

#6 – Tribal Knowledge is Collected

Quality management technology captures the collective wisdom of the organization. Everything that goes into each improvement project is stored even long after the work is finished. Best practices can be repeated, fruitless efforts can be avoided, and team members can learn from the work of other departments or teams.

#7 – Executives Can Track Improvement Culture

Improvement software eliminates the need for emails and spreadsheets to fly back and forth or for executives to walk from huddle board to huddle board to measure health of the culture. All improvement projects can be visualized so that it easy to understand if progress is trending up and which areas of the organization are having the highest degree of engagement.

#8 – Strategic Goals and Individual Objectives are Aligned

Improvement projects should be prioritized in line with the strategic plan of the organization. This requires that each individual understand how their goals and daily tasks are connected to the overall objectives of the company. Management software makes it easy for leaders, supervisors, and individuals to participate in strategy development and achieve goal alignment.

#9 –Results are Measured

Are your quality improvement initiatives paying off? A physical Kanban board can't tell you, but quality improvement software can. The results of each improvement project can be measured in terms of cost savings, revenue earned, improved quality, customer satisfaction, or whatever key performance indicators (KPIs) are relevant for the opportunity. Not only does this help leadership justify continued investment in quality improvement, but it also motivates employees when they see their hard work pay off in an objectively measurable way.

#10 – Time Never Stops

One thing you can never get back is time. Every day that passes without the best tools available at the disposal of your team is a missed opportunity to maximize improvement.

What all of these advantages combine to give users of quality improvement software is a fantastic ROI. It's easy to see why, despite tight budgets, organizations are all in on improvement management technology.