Let’s start by a quick recap of the main article…

Make Continuous Improvement One Of Your Goals – As Soon As You Possibly Can (ID: 74077)
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What Is An Improvement Cycle?

“Everything we do is a process, every process has a customer”

The Improvement Cycle is a highly disciplined and rigorous approach to problem solving using the Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) methodology developed by Dr. W. Edwards Deming.

The Improvement Cycle consists of seven steps, 3 in the Plan phase, 1 in the Do phase, 1 in the Check phase, and 2 in the Act phase.

The PDCA cycle needs to be used in a continuous manner, select your theme or project, assess the current situation, plan and implement your solutions, check the effects of your changes, standardise on your new improved process, and plan for future improvements – the cycle continues.

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Ready to take a look at the 3 detailed steps in the PLAN phase?

—SIDEBAR—

Although a certain amount of value and benefit may be
derived from implementing part of the PDCA improvement
process, a far greater benefit will be achieved by
sticking to the process and following all 4 phases as
best you can. this is especially important when
involving internal and/or external team members.

—END SIDEBAR—

The critical part of the Plan phase is to get to the point where we can choose where to make improvements or what
opportunity to run with and how success will be measured.

“Insanity: doing the same thing over

and over again and expecting different

results.” Einstein

Whether deciding this on our own or as part of a team, there will be a time when we need to be able to communicate what the plan is and why it is in place. It may go in a report, recommendation for management approval, basis for raising funding, showing our customers that we have listened to them and we are acting on it.

Please don’t be vague here. Time taken now will be more than well spent. The clearer we are about the plans purpose and the direction we wish to take, the greater the buy-in will be by all concerned. Moreover, it gives us the foundation for good, solid communication.

O.K. How to get started…

Why are we here? What has given us the idea for a new project? What is telling us that we need to improve?

Perhaps it’s…

Customer survey information

Results from previous analysis

Current measures of success

Direct feedback

Your own observations

Results from team’s previous brainstorming session(s)

STEP 1 Identify Problem or Opportunity

Determine problem area or opportunity

Define what should happen, what we want to achieve

Define the current situation clearly and honestly

Determine the discrepancy or shortfall

Select your measurable goal(s)

Define the problem or opportunity in a statement form in order to brainstorm potential causes to the problem or potential means to achieve the opportunity.

Note 1

Remember ‘SMART’ goals and objectives – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timed (timescales to achieve).

Quoted often, the ‘SMART’ format definitely works although not always easy to use. Take as many tries as it needs to be as clear as possible. This is step one of seven – get this right, and the rest follows.

STEP 2 Investigation

Brainstorm possible causes to the problem

Gather and analyze data related to the problem e.g. Sales by Region, Seasonality, Refunds, Returns, Questionnaires

Select most likely causes

Draw a Cause and Effect Diagram (Fishbone), select major categories and transfer likely causes grouped under these categories.

Establish the cause and effect relationship

Gather more data if necessary to verify likely causes

Keep asking ‘WHY’ until the true root cause(s) of the problem have been identified.

Note 2

If using Cause and Effect in a ‘positive’ way, e.g. if the desired effect is the successful start of a new venture or the successful completion of a new project, the causes will be the indivual people, things, events etc. that result in the desired outcome.

Note 3

Great Tip! Before and After…

Once the desired outcome has been achieved either in full or in part, use the first Cause and Effect diagram as a base and then do a second one to show which ‘causes’ gave the achieved result.

In the spirit of PDCA and Continuous Improvement, this forms the starting point of the next cycle

STEP 3 Develop Plan

Think creatively to determine the best approach and best possible corrective actions

Make sure each action can be measured and is measured

Make sure each action is deadlined

How will you measure?, When will you measure? Who will measure?

Repeat the process for each Cause and Effect category if necessary

Develop your implementation plan and publish it.

Note 4

We all know or should know that plans are NOT edicts.

No-Brainer

If we have had the foresight to involve those who will be responsible for the doing in the planning, they are far more likely to support it and help with it’s communication.

Two Powerful Problem Solving / Decision Making Tools

SWOT analysis

(Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats)

Force Field analysis

(the strength of what’s working for us and what’s working against us).

Providing a focused problem solving approach through our personal and business coaching (especially to small businesses). This approach is linked to providing work at home businesses, affiliates and online businesses with PROFITABLE INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS.

Our primary theme and overriding goal is to provide you with the right choices that fit your needs, solve your problems.

Our website ‘http://www.youraffiliatecoach.com’ is content rich with useful information, articles and resources.

More importantly there are free to subscribe opportunities to help you by answering questions, offering guidance and our newsletter ‘The Webcoach News’. Why not check them all out?

Please note that we can be contacted through the website if anyone wishes help or guidance with any part of this article or the process described. Simply use the Request Form.

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 24th, 2008 at 3:13 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.