| The following guidance can be effectively used to | | | | 2. Changes must make business sense. |
| provide a focused, continuous improvement and | | | | 3. Regulations cannot be circumvented. |
| innovative process that can impact the future of an | | | | 4. Quality to the customer cannot suffer. |
| organization. The goal is to quickly identify and eliminate | | | | A high impact continuous change program presents an |
| unneeded processes, procedures and work activities. | | | | excellent opportunity for executives to appoint a high |
| Additionally, the approach provides a process to focus | | | | potential leader or leaders to orchestrate the innovation |
| on implementing new processes and actions that will | | | | effort in their business segment. The action based |
| create greater efficiencies and foster excellence | | | | learning, combined with the accomplishment of a |
| everywhere. Organizations need to look at challenging | | | | stretch goal in which all individuals (a team effort) |
| the status quo as a way forward, the pursuit of fresh, | | | | discover, develop and execute in an innovative |
| innovative ideas, and a process to develop both the | | | | environment, presents a specific and measurable |
| individual and collective organization agility. Challenging | | | | leadership and team growth experience. In addition to |
| the status quo is a way to embrace change, and | | | | this initiative being a learning and continuous |
| facilitate the endless search for new possibilities. | | | | improvement process, which encourages innovative |
| Quoting Max DePree, author of the book The Art of | | | | thinking and action, it also provides each employee the |
| Leadership "We cannot become what we want to be, | | | | opportunity to LEAD (Listen, Engage, Act, and Deliver) |
| by remaining what we are." If organizations are to | | | | in the spirit and intent of a high performance |
| change, they must challenge the status quo. | | | | organization. When looked at this way "continual |
| The approach provided here is inclusive, in that it | | | | process improvement" does not become a program, |
| encourages all stakeholders in every position within the | | | | but rather it simply becomes "how the organization |
| organization to take a critical look at, and identify | | | | routinely does things." |
| anything that needs elimination or improvement. This will | | | | To help get your collective organizational as well as |
| require responsive leadership, and the creative and | | | | your individual creative juices flowing, consider the |
| innovative participation of each organizational member. | | | | following list as simply a starting point, in your quest to |
| For greatest impact, quick on the spot meetings | | | | quickly eliminate unneeded processes, procedures and |
| brainstorming sessions, action plans, and swift | | | | work activities. |
| execution/implementation, will be required to constantly | | | | Within a team setting or as an individual brainstorm and |
| eliminate inefficiencies and implement new and more | | | | ask yourself...can I reduce: |
| efficient methods of conducting business. This highly | | | | New hires |
| focused improvement initiative requires frequent | | | | Bureaucracy |
| recommendations to responsive leaders, who in-turn | | | | Material cost |
| must quickly make "business justifiable pass or reject | | | | Installation errors |
| decisions" to proposed changes. Items that require | | | | Paperwork errors |
| further collaborative study due to their complex nature, | | | | Paperwork activity |
| will need to be reviewed by add-hoc, cross-functional | | | | Non-accountability |
| teams who can make responsible "up or down" | | | | Telephone callbacks |
| decisions usually within days, but not more than a few | | | | Poor communications |
| weeks. | | | | Computer input errors |
| The "opportunity assumption" is that 80% of the work | | | | Scrap |
| organizations collectively do is value-added. Due to old | | | | Rework |
| or no-longer relevant processes, procedures, rules and | | | | Inventory |
| habits, or because of inattention to detail, lack of | | | | Downtime |
| training, clarity or direction, 20% of what organizations | | | | Cycle time |
| do is open to elimination or improvement. Each | | | | Set-up time |
| organizational member knows best which | | | | Response time |
| improvements, specific to what they do on a daily | | | | Inspection time |
| basis, will yield the fastest and most significant | | | | Late shipments |
| productivity gains. This process challenges each | | | | Work in progress |
| individual to analyze, prioritize and optimize their time, | | | | Actual quality problem |
| experience, talents, skills and effort, so the organization | | | | Perceived quality problem |
| can realize its full potential. | | | | Travel |
| The "output" of this effort is to create a collective | | | | Meetings |
| strong desire and mind-set by all stakeholders for | | | | Late reports |
| challenging the status quo, through the implementation | | | | Late releases |
| of continuous change and improvement in every | | | | Design issues |
| activity of the organization. Also, the goal of a 20% | | | | Supplier problems |
| reduction in "non-impact work" and "less than optimum | | | | Customer problem |
| performance" - within six months - places a | | | | Non-standard practices |
| measurable objective in the process. This 20% goal is | | | | Non-value added training |
| definitely a "stretch goal" but one that is both attainable | | | | Non-aligned processes/procedures |
| and required if an organization is to continue to | | | | Non-value added actions/procedures |
| profitably grow and become a leader in its sector. | | | | In the pursuit of new ideas, consider the following when |
| Change, true change, takes hard work by "all | | | | focusing on improving and implementing new |
| stakeholders." Change also demands that every | | | | processes and actions that will create greater |
| organizational member, no matter what his or her | | | | efficiencies and foster excellence everywhere. |
| position, take ownership of the change process. | | | | Quoting Hammer & Champy from their book |
| Organizations become most successful when change | | | | Reengineering The Corporation, "Process reengineering |
| is considered normal, and when not challenging the | | | | is the fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of |
| status quo is considered not normal. | | | | business processes to achieve dramatic improvement |
| The following four rules must be applied in a change | | | | in the critical, contemporary measurements of |
| initiative. | | | | performance, such as cost, quality, service and speed. |
| 1. Safety must not be compromised. | | | | |