Process Improvement Methodologies and
Continuous improvement tools

Exceptional Improvement Doesn’t Happen by Accident

When aiming to improve a process and adopt any of the various process improvement methodologies, there are a few critical steps that need to occur to help set teams up for success. In the section below, we share a handful of helpful continuous improvement tools to help leaders improve their project outcomes, while creating a more positive experience for project team members and customers.

12 Tools for Continuous Process Improvement Methodologies and Lean Six Sigma

5 Whys Analysis, process improvement methodologies

5 Whys Analysis Apply 5 Whys to determine the root cause of the problem When seeking to solve a problem, it is essential that the …

process mapping, process improvement methodologies

Process Mapping Process maps are useful for many reasons. Process maps help managers and operators to discover opportunities for improvement. In most cases, once the …

Common forms of process waste, process improvement methodologies

Forms of Waste The concept of waste is important to understand for a variety of reasons. Waste is the inefficiencies that exist within a process. …

SMART Aim Statement, process improvement methodologies

SMART Aim Statement The SMART Aim Statement helps the project team to articulate the project’s goal. The acronym SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, …

Problem Statement template, process improvement methodologies

Problem Statement Summarizing the Who, What, When/Where, and Why of the Problem The problem statement is a concise description of the issue that needs to …

communication plan, process improvement methodologies

Communication Plan Ensure all parties have the information they need to act The communication plan details who the stakeholder groups are, what their preferred communication …

Project A3 template, process improvement methodologies

Project A3 Report Solving business problems on one page Share Tweet Post The Project A3 Report provides teams with a structured problem-solving approach that was …

stakeholder analysis, process improvement methodologies

Stakeholder Analysis Know the project stakeholders and their unique needs. Managing stakeholder expectations starts with a stakeholder’s analysis, a tool that helps to keep everyone …

meeting agenda, process improvement methodologies

Meeting Agenda Providing meetings with a structured purpose Meeting agendas can help clarify the meeting objectives. Agendas help participants to arrive prepared and ready to …

weekly status update, process improvement methodologies

Weekly Project Status Report Keep the project on track by routinely evaluating its overall health. When implementing any project it is critical that the project …

SBAR – Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendations Summarizing the business case and the need for change When discussing the need for a project and advising …

project charter, process improvement methodologies

Project Charter Clarifying the project’s scope and ownership Using a standardized project charter template can help get your project started on the right foot by …

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The Right Process Improvement Methodologies

or Tools Can Make All the Difference.

Achieve Alignment

Use an SBAR When Selecting Projects

In process improvement there is a cautionary saying about “there being no greater waste of resources than improving something that shouldn’t be improved.” To help safeguard organizations against investing in projects that don’t support the organization’s goals, consider using an SBAR to clarify how the project aligns to organizational priorities.

SBAR is an acronym that stands for situation, background, analysis, and recommendation. Many leaders have found that the SBAR a simple, easy-to-teach format that is useful for creating and communicating a project’s business case and the need for change.

Require Projects to Have a Project Charter

As the organization undertakes improvement projects, leadership will need to ensure that every project has clear ownership, an achievable goal, a manageable scope, and an appropriate timeline. The project charter is a useful tool for guiding the project from start to finish. To help set up projects for success, it is strongly recommended that every project have a charter.

An important aspect of the project charter is that it helps to connect the dots between the project’s goals and the organization’s priorities. From an organizational alignment perspective, the charter creates tremendous value. But beyond that, the charter helps to bind the team together, connecting them to a common goal, but also helping them to see how their work contributes to the organization’s success.

Select the Right Team – Give Them Structure and the Information They Need to Act

Know Who the Stakeholders Are

A lot of the project’s success will be contingent on selecting the right project, but also selecting the right project team. When it comes to identifying the key stakeholders that need to be involved in the project, consider using a Stakeholder Analysis. Completing a Stakeholder Analysis will help clarify who is impact by the project, who can influence the project’s outcomes, and who might just need to be informed that the project is occurring.

Every Meeting Should Have an Agenda

As the project team begins to conduct their work and use the various improvement methods, it is essential that their team meetings end with clear action. To help ensure team meetings are productive, ensure that all meetings are guided by a well-crafted agenda.

Maximize the use of the team’s time by distributing an agenda in advance of your team’s meetings. Ideally, the agenda will be shared at least 24-48 hours before the meeting begins.

Good Communication Has Nothing to Do with Luck

When it comes to sharing important information with key stakeholders, a little bit of planning goes a long way. To help ensure the project team’s and the various stakeholder’s needs for information is satisfied, it is essential that a plan exist to know who needs what information, how do they like to receive it, and how frequently should the information be shared. To help organize information sharing with key stakeholders, it is strongly recommended that a Communication Plan be created as part of the team’s project planning activities.

Avoid the Temptation of Jumping to a Solution

A Well-Defined Problem is Half Solved.

Investing time and energy to fully understand the problem and how it is impacting the organization and its customers is critical to getting the project started on the right foot. To help the team describe the problem they are trying to solve, consider using a Problem Statement.

In general, the Problem Statement helps describe the who, what, when/where of the problem. But most importantly it described why the problem needs to be addressed.

Walk the Process, See It Firsthand, Then Map It.

Before the team tries to identify solutions, they need to first understand the current state. Going to the Gemba, to observe the process first hand is a critical activity for collecting information about how the process exists today. Following the Gemba, the team can document their finds and create a process map to help explain the process steps that are being completed, by whom, and in what order.

Make it Safe to Talk About Process Waste

An important part of any improvement effort is to ensure that stakeholders feel secure when talking about what isn’t working in the current process. Equipping everyone with a shared language to talk about the common forms of process waste will help people have the words they need to talk about what is broken and why.

Be Sure to Get to the Root of the Problem

Be Careful Not to Confuse Activity with Progress

Set a SMART Goal to Be Clear on What Success Looks Like

To unite the project team around a common goal consider creating a SMART Goal. The acronym SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. Having a clear goal in mind with support the team’s decision-making and allow the team to determine if the changes they implement impact the goal in mind.

Keep Record of Progress Made and Issues Encountered

As the project gets underway, it is easy to assume that things are going smoothly without really knowing if true progress is happening. Just because the team is “busy”, doesn’t mean the team is being productive. To help the project team document progress made and have an avenue for escalating issues it is strongly recommended that team provide a weekly project health and status report (commonly referred to as a “stoplight” report).