As a Six-Sigma trained black belt and a Lean Manufacturing coordinator for a steel mill, I got a great deal of first hand experience with continuous improvement in all its glory and downfalls. Some approaches seem to work better than others; that’s for sure, but all incorporate the basic sections of define, measure, analyze, improve and control.

Whenever we are looking at changing a process you have to consider the customer at the top of the list. I would define customer as the end user, but also as the next operation in the process. Often these two are overlooked as changes are being implemented and later people ‘downstream’ are heard from as the change impacts them.

This is part of the overall “internal communication” picture. Effective communication within the business is essential to continuous improvement. By disclosing performance measures, everyone understands what the business is trying to achieve and where it stands in relation to where it wants to be. Only if employees have this information will they gain commitment to and accountability for the way forward.

This in turn leads to the buy-in from the shop floor which is critical to the success of any system implementation. If you have buy-in from the employees and give them some level of control over the process you are sending the message that they have the authority to match their particular level of development and expertise.

Continuous Improvement is only one of the fifty topics covered in the personal development bulletins that are included in the packages available at The PEOPLE Academy, Inc.

As always, questions and comments are welcome.