Applying a Structured Approach to Improvements

The PDCA 5 Step Approach

Our consultants are fully qualified in lean manufacturing techniques and are work hardened through years of practical experience in both the manufacturing and service sectors.

Plan - Problem / Issue identified & solution agreed

Do - Implementation plan in place

Check - Know if solution is working

Act - Improve solution (if required) or Improvement locked in as the new way of working

Creating a Continuous Improvement Culture

1. Encourage people closest to the process to identify & solve problem

o The people who do the job

o The people who are subject matter ‘experts’

o Everyone else exists to help them succeed

2. Nothing is perfect - everything can be improved

o Look for root causes rather than ‘quick fixes’

o Speak with data rather than relying on opinion

o Work Smarter rather than Harder - ‘The way we do things round here’

3. Thrive on Teamwork

o The secret is get a good mix of people with different viewpoints, experiences and ways of thinking

o An Ideal team size is 4 – 7 people

4. Everyone can participate

o The power of continuous improvement is infectious

o It is easier to change: 100 things by 1% than 1 thing by 100%.

5. A journey, not a destination

o By definition, the cycle of improving & continually raising the standards never stops!

o Ongoing process control can be used to ensure the performance of the countermeasures consistently meet the objectives set

o Improvement is infinite!

For more information, contact chris@hartsolutionsworld.com