Propose

methods of
applying
learning and
innovation in
the
organization

HOW TO USE THIS COMPETENCY-BASED

1
 LEARNING MATERIAL

WELCOME to the unit of competency, “PROPOSE METHODS OF

APPLYING LEARNING AND INNOVATION IN THE ORGANIZATION”, is
one of the competencies of Basic Competency, DRIVING STRAIGHT
TRUCK/BUS PASSENGER, a course which comprises the knowledge, skills and
attitude required for a TVET training possesses.

The module, PROPOSING METHODS OF APPLYING LEARNING

AND INNOVATION IN THE ORGANIZATION, contains training materials
and activities related to identifying learner’s requirements, practice
occupational health and safety procedures to complete.

In this module, you are required to go through a series of learning

activities in order to complete each learning outcome. In each learning
outcome are Information Sheets, Self-Checks, Task Sheets and Job
Sheets. Follow and perform the activities on your own. If you have
questions, do not hesitate to ask for assistance from your facilitator.

Remember to:
• Read information sheets and complete self-checks. Suggested
references are including supplementing the materials provided in this
module.
• Perform the Task Sheets and Job Sheets until you are confident that
your output conforms to the Performance Criteria checklist that follows
the sheets.
• Submit your Task Sheets and Job Sheets to your facilitator for
evaluation and recording in the Accomplishment Chart. Outputs
shall serve as your portfolio during the Institutional Competency
Evaluation. When you feel confident that you have had sufficient
practice, ask your trainer to evaluate you. The results of your
assessment will record in your Progress Chart and
Accomplishment Chart.

You must pass the Institutional Competency Evaluation for this competency
before moving to another competency. A Certificate of Achievement will
award to you after passing the evaluation.

• You need to complete this before you can perform the module on
common competency,

2
 Learning Activities Special Instructions
1. Read Information Sheet 5.1-1 on Read information sheets and complete
Assess work procedures, self-check.
processes and systems in terms of Suggested reference is including
innovative practices supplementing the materials provided in
this module.
1. Answer Self-Check no, 5.1-1 on
Assess work procedures, Compare your answer to answers key, in
processes and systems in terms of case your result is below 80% you are
innovative practices required to reread the information

2. Compare your answer with answer

key 5.1-1 on Assess work procedures,
processes and systems in terms of
innovative practices
1. Read Information Sheet 5.1-2
Generate practical action plans for
improving work procedures, Output shall serve as your portfolio
processes during the Institutional Competency
Evaluation. When you feel confident that
2. Answer Self-Check no, 5.1-2 you have, a sufficient practice, as your
Generate practical action plans for assessment, will record in your Progress
improving work procedures, Chart and Accomplishment Chart.
processes

3. Compare your answer with answer

key 5.1-2 on After this Learning Outcome (LO), you
Generate practical action plans for may now proceed to the next Learning
improving work procedures, processes Outcome.
1. Read Information Sheet 5.1-3 on
Evaluate the effectiveness of the
proposed action plans

2. Answer Self-Check no, 5.1-3 on

Evaluate the effectiveness of the
proposed action plans

3. Compare your answer with answer

key 8.1-3 on Evaluate the
effectiveness of the proposed
action plans

Learning Activities
Unit of Competency : PROPOSE METHODS OF APPLYING
LEARNING AND
INNOVATION IN THE ORGANIZATION

Module Title : PROPOSING METHODS OF APPLYING

LEARNING
AND INNOVATION IN THE ORGANIZATION

Module Descriptor : This module covers the knowledge, skills and

attitude required to to identify environmental
work
hazards, follow environment work procedures
and
comply with environmental requirements.

Suggested Duration : 3 Hours

Qualification Level : NC II

Summary of Learning Outcome:

LO1. Assess work procedures, processes and systems

in terms of innovative practices.

LO2. Generate practical action plans for improving

work procedures, processes.

LO3. Evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed action plans.

 Information Sheet 5.1-1
Assess work procedures, processes and
systems in terms of innovative practices

Learning Objectives:

In 1 hour, after reading, this information sheet you must be able

to:
1. Show mastery of the following practical concepts.
2. Demonstrate collaboration and networking skills
3. Show basic skills in research
4. Generate practical insights on how to improve organizational
procedures, processes and systems
5. Set up action plans on how to apply innovative procedures in the
organization
6. Set up action plans on how to apply innovative procedures in the
organization
7. Generate practical insights on how to improve organizational
procedures, processes and systems

INTRODUCTION

. Few companies and organizations remain innovative for long periods of

time, and despite high ambitions, many innovation initiatives fail to yield the
desired results. Identifying how best to measure the effectiveness of
innovation initiatives is key to ensuring that those efforts actually help an
organization achieve its overall goals. This article offers organizations and
their leaders practical advice for measuring innovation effectively.

Deficient innovation outcomes have multiple causes and many firm- and industry-
specific idiosyncrasies may come into play. Nevertheless, a missing piece for many
organizations is a systematic process for measuring innovation. Across industries,
awareness is growing that it is insufficient to merely allocate funds to innovation
and decide on ambitious strategies and goals. Companies also must track the
results and outcomes of their investments (Richtnér et al. Citation2017). Prior
research offers three explanations for why measuring innovation is central to
achieving innovation in practice:
 What gets measured gets done—By measuring innovation, companies
communicate their innovation strategy (Davila, Epstein, and
Shelton Citation2012) and thereby channel the attention of employees and
stimulate conversations about means and ends (Brattström
et al. Citation2018).
 Resources are precious—Given that companies’ resources are never
unlimited, measurement makes it easier to pinpoint problems, follow up on
deviations from original plans, and implement corrective measures in real
time (Davila, Epstein, and Shelton Citation2012).
 Measurement reveals opportunities—When companies measure their
activities, they more easily identify new business opportunities and set the
stage for learning within the organization (Frishammar and
Björk Citation2019).
It is clear that without measuring their innovation efforts, organizations are less
likely to realize a return on their investments in innovation—and more likely to
overlook opportunities and focus on variables that do not matter. The benefits of
innovation measurement are becoming more and more well understood (Dobni,
Klassen, and Wilson Citation2021; Richtnér et al. Citation2017). What is less clear
is how to actually implement innovation measurement in everyday organizational
practice. Concrete examples can provide critical insights on best practices in both
developing and implementing innovation measurement, so that it is more likely to
deliver the desired results.
We offer practical advice for measuring innovation and for actively managing the
measurement process. Drawing on six years of empirical research on innovation
measurement, across multiple firms and industries, we explain how measuring
innovation differs from measuring other things that firms measure; we define
innovation measurement in precise terms; and we articulate nine critical lessons
that will help organizations better measure and improve their innovation
management initiatives.
How Measuring Innovation Differs from Other Measurements
All innovations, by definition, differ qualitatively from whatever preceded them. This
newness has three important implications for innovation measurement. First,
innovation is more difficult to measure or benchmark within and across firms than,
for example, quality- or production-related issues. Second, given the nature of
innovation, measures often also must be qualitative, thereby increasing the
difficulty of finding good proxies or measures. Third, the actual management of
innovation measurement is typically more challenging and complex than with other
types of measurement. While production is a matter for the production department
and marketing for the marketing department, innovation is a task for the whole
firm. It does not reside in a single unit but cuts across the whole organization,
making it an inherently complex endeavor.
What We Know about Innovation Measurement
In the natural sciences, measurement entails use of a particular method to assess
the size of a system. Innovation measurement works in the same way, albeit with
less accuracy than in the natural sciences. For example, a company can use data
from its own business system (method) to calculate the profits from its new service
sales (size) in the total product and service portfolio (system).
Measuring innovation is critical for an organization to achieve its innovation goals
and ambitions (Richtnér et al. Citation2017). Therefore, more and more companies
have started to explore and experiment with a variety of ways to measure
innovation. Historically, if innovation was measured at all, it was most common to
focus on quantitative output measures such as the number of new products or
services per year (Markham and Lee Citation2013). Nowadays, organizations are
increasingly using qualitative measures of innovation, such as effects on
organizational culture or on the company’s openness to change and risk-taking.
Researchers have defined three different types of measures (Davila, Epstein, and
Shelton Citation2012; Frishammar and Björk Citation2019). We present an abridged
version:
 Input measures are forward-looking and help a firm to measure its potential
for success in its innovation efforts. Examples include “number of innovative
ideas generated per year” and “the extent of available resources for an
innovation project in response to unforeseen events.”
 Current situation measures help a firm to understand present conditions.
These measures are critical for carrying out innovation activities because
they help to manage events as they unfold in real time. Examples include
“number or size of innovation projects in each phase of the innovation
process” and “how much time has been spent so far in planning for an
innovation project.”
 Results measures are primarily retrospective. They elucidate, and often
quantify, the yield of a firm’s innovation efforts. Examples include “revenues
from new product sales over total product sales” and “time from idea to
launch of an innovation project.”
Exhaustive lists of innovation metrics are beyond the scope of this article
(Davila, Epstein, and Shelton [Citation2012] and Richtnér et al. [Citation2017]
provide lists of metrics). Nonetheless, companies can choose from a large set of
metrics as they measure their innovation portfolios, innovation processes,
innovation projects, and innovation culture (Frishammar and Björk Citation2019).
Studies that explore how to implement innovation measurement are scarce,
however. Recent studies have extended the application and development of key
performance indicators (KPIs) to help organizations manage different aspects of
their new business effectively (Toma and Gons Citation2021; Lamprecht
et al. Citation2022) and also use KPIs to focus on team measures
(Sommer Citation2019).
In accounting, several studies focus specifically on measuring organizational
performance (Bourne et al. Citation2000; Kaplan and Norton Citation1996). These
studies offer important insights on measuring performance but say little about
innovation measurement itself. In contrast, the innovation management literature
includes a large body of empirical studies of innovation and its importance;
however, few of the studies focus directly on innovation measurement (exceptions
include Brattström et al. Citation2018;
Davila, Epstein, and Shelton Citation2012; Frishammar et al. Citation2019).
Recent research has also suggested normative frameworks for innovation
measurement (Richtnér et al. Citation2017; Nappi and Kelly Citation2022), but
concrete guidance and insights on how firms can better measure innovation are still
lacking. In short, the focus must shift from frameworks for measuring innovation to
action-oriented advice on what organizations should do and consider in order to
become better at measuring innovation.
How to Implement Innovative Processes in Your Workplace

Critical process
One of the most important aspects of a company’s success and development
is the documentation of a clear process. Even outside the innovation space,
organizing your workflows or development timelines into a clear process allows for
incremental improvement as well as metric-based evaluation.
If a company operates within manufacturing, it is vital to document the
processes so that they can be optimized, the cost of production can be minimized,
and the quality of the end-product can be monitored and consistent. Within the
innovation space, having clear processes is even more important.
Developing your process
Creating an innovation process begins by having a high-level strategy for
your innovation engine. Innovating simply to innovate can be fun, but fails to
create a targeted impact on your business. An organization needs to strategize how
the innovation practice will be used to improve it as a whole.
This can be through adding new revenue streams, improving user
engagement and retention, or identifying ways to maintain a market leader status,
to name a few. If your organization has a clear understanding of the goals and
purpose for the innovation practice, ideas can be evaluated for their value far more
effectively.
Innovating simply to innovate fails to create a targeted business impact.
Once your strategy has been established, you’ll need to define the specifics
of how the innovation systems will plug into your current workstreams. When is a
problem worth ideating on? Who gets pulled in to work through a specific
challenge? How often should ideation be related to solving a specified problem
versus exploring a new opportunity?
Creating the actual expectations and implementation of when and why
people are tasked with doing innovation work is the next step towards putting your
infrastructure into practice. As employees, understanding when we should be doing
process work like problem framing, user testing, and prototyping as opposed to
when we should be ideating and developing blue-sky ideas will allow us to maintain
a high level of efficiency through these new systems.
The key here is to develop a process that allows you to make use of the
infrastructure you have built in the previous steps.
Unifying your innovation approach
Innovation is the behavior that can ensure one’s company succeeds in the
distant future. Creating a culture and infrastructure that constantly engages with
innovation benefits both existing value chains and new business opportunities.
By understanding the types of innovations, from incremental to radical, an
organization can strategically prioritize how to invest appropriately. Identifying an
ideal future state and mapping that future onto a specific innovation strategy
creates a concrete plan to succeed.
To achieve that success, however, innovation needs to be more than just
nominal. Ideas need to have a consistent, clear method to be shared and presented.
Individuals have to be motivated and able to collaborate on innovative ideas.
Finally, good solutions need to be allocated resources to be executed.
Overall, creating infrastructure across the innovation pipeline builds
industry leaders.
We hope you can now understand the nuances of innovation strategy in
organizational design. This should enable you to both scrutinize companies to
understand the strengths and weaknesses of their innovation implementation and
analyze your own organization to understand how to mold your company into an
ideal future state.

Once Tools and Systems are

thought out, the next key to
developing an innovation
culture is in helping
employees use them.
This includes giving team
members across all levels of
the organization the time,
motivation, and
encouragement to
participate in innovation
activities, as well as the
proper training to approach
problem-solving and
collaboration in effective ways.
Giving Time to Innovate
For a company to effectively innovate, there needs to be a steady and
consistent pipeline of ideas and innovation initiatives. These ideas, however, cannot
be conceived without allocating time for individuals within the company to think and
contribute to the cause.
Finding the right balance between exploration and core work is vital to
support innovation. While an innovation time policy might not work for your
organization, encouraging employees to think about the bigger picture and explore
solutions to challenges they see, can produce incredibly valuable results. In the
case of Gmail, that investment in time has yielded billions of dollars in new revenue.
Engaging Employees at All Levels
Some of the most impactful
ideas can come from the most
unexpected spots. We believe that
in order for an idea to have a
company-wide impact, we need
specialist innovators, but also
collaboration. There is a lot to
consider in the process of
innovation, and just gathering
ideas is not enough. We’ll address
this in greater detail, but it’s worth noting that including the ideas from the most
diverse set of perspectives can provide the most beneficial and rewarding results.

Studies Linking Innovation to Engagement

A study by Kreuger & Kilham found that 59% of engaged employees say
their job “brings out their most creative ideas,” a sentiment shared with only 3% of
disengaged employees. This suggests there is a link between engagement and
productivity, relative to employee inclusion in innovation activities.
A different study by the Chartered Management Institute found
companies encouraging innovation experienced lower sickness and absence rates,
along with higher employee engagement. While one might think innovation and
creative work might be another burden to put on employees, these studies suggest
it’s actually a tool a company can use to engage and satisfy them. This can lead to
increased productivity and lower turnover.
Incentivizing Productive Behaviors
If only upper management is involved in innovation activity, a company will
miss out on the wealth of ideas and insights a broader base of employees may
have. Similarly, if only lower-level employees are working on innovative ideas, it can
be difficult to get stakeholder buy-in and investment in new opportunities. One way
to engage employees in innovation activities is through the implementation of
recognition and reward systems.
Incentive structures help by aligning and engaging individuals toward specific
outcomes. These can range from incentive pay, motivating workers to be invested
in the success and growth of a company, to incentive benefits that help attract top
talent. As many articles on innovation reward systems note, when it comes to
developing a reward structure for innovation initiatives, it is vital to be rewarding
the correct things.
A successful reward system can help individuals think creatively and increase
motivation. The wrong reward infrastructure can actually serve to hurt intrinsic
motivation and creativity.
The Importance of Learning Innovation Practices
Why can some companies pour millions of dollars into an innovation engine
with very few results, while others see massive benefits from much smaller
investments? It’s a question that has stymied organizations for years.
Innovation results from many practices and ideologies. Understanding them
can prove invaluable to developing new ideas, evaluating and testing, and finally,
implementing them. Principles such as iteration, failing fast, divergent and
convergent thinking, as well as dozens of others, can create informed innovators set
to revolutionize an industry. With this in mind, a training methodology for helping
individuals to better understand innovation practices is necessary for success.
Collaboration Skills: Examples and Ways To Improve Them
Written by
Indeed Editorial Team
Updated September 14, 2024

Collaboration skills are essential for nearly every role and industry. You can develop
these skills in various ways to help you find increased success in your position.
Understanding how to cooperate well with others can support workplace efficiency,
aid your career advancement and help you and your team achieve better
outcomes.In this article, we discuss collaboration skills, the steps you can take to
improve them and how you can highlight these skills in a job search, and we offer
20 examples of collaboration skills in the workplace.
Key takeaways:
 Collaboration skills can help you work well with others.
 Working as a team can increase productivity and develop healthy
relationships between employees.
 Sharing ideas and brainstorming help develop unique solutions.
What are collaboration skills?
In the workplace, collaboration occurs when two or more individuals work
together toward a common goal benefiting the team or company. Collaboration
skills are what enable you to work well with others. When people work together
toward a common goal, they use their experiences and skills to solve problems,
learn from each other and contribute to the goal’s success. Collaboration occurs in
many ways, and using your collaboration skills to connect your team can help them
accomplish personal and company goals.
Why are collaboration skills important?
Collaboration skills are one of the top skills employers are looking for today’s
workplace. When employees work together, they’re often more effective than
attempting the same projects alone. Working as a team can increase productivity
and develop healthy relationships between employees.Successfully collaborating
with your coworkers can also increase your motivation and level of engagement at
work. Additionally, sharing ideas and brainstorming helps develop unique
solutions.You may use collaboration skills to:
 Reach a consensus about goals and methods for completing projects or tasks
 Recognize others’ contributions, giving credit where it’s due
 Identify obstacles and address problems cooperatively
 Place group goals above personal satisfaction and recognition
Skills to enhance collaboration
Collaboration skills are a group of different soft skills and behaviors that
promote collaboration and teamwork. Some skills focus on working personally with
others, while others are more about working well in a team environment.
Personal collaboration skills
Here are some of the soft personal skills needed to foster collaboration in the
workplace:
Communication
Communication skills are your ability to share your message with others in spoken
or written words. When collaborating, you may discuss different strategies,
processes and other topics to complete a task. You may also leave notes or write
emails for others, making it essential to communicate your thoughts and ideas
coherently and simply others can understand what you’re sharing.Related: 7 Tips
for Improving Communication Skills
Active listening
Active listening is the ability to make a conscious effort to understand what
someone is sharing with you. For example, if a team member shares their project
idea during a meeting, you may nod to show you’re listening.You may also repeat
their message in your own words to help clarify what you’ve heard. You can
demonstrate active listening during a conversation by asking follow-up questions to
ensure you understand their thoughts.Related: The Importance of Good
Listening and How To Listen Effectively
Emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence is understanding your emotions and identifying how others
may feel. Using your emotional intelligence in collaboration can help you discover
ways to work together better.For example, you may learn how to share feedback
with a teammate based on how they react when others share constructive criticism
with them in different ways. When you understand how you and others respond to
various situations, it may benefit collaboration.Related: The Importance of
Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace
Trust
Trust is believing in another person’s character traits and strengths. Trusting others
in a collaborative environment is when you can let them work on their tasks and
know they can complete them by the deadline while following the guidelines to
deliver quality work. Additionally, it can mean you trust others to ask for help when
they encounter a challenge rather than trying to resolve it themselves.Related:15
Trustworthy Traits in the Workplace
Interpersonal skills
Interpersonal skills are traits you rely on when interacting and
communicating with others. They cover a variety of scenarios where communication
and cooperation are essential. Often called people skills, they tend to incorporate
both your innate personality traits and how you’ve learned to handle certain social
situations.Related: 14 Ways To Improve Your Interpersonal Skills at Work
Diplomacy
Diplomatic skills encompass a range of strengths and abilities that enable
professionals to manage professional relationships. The approaches you take to
build professional relationships, perform on the job and handle stressful situations
can all relate to developing strong diplomatic skills.
Compromise
Compromise allows you to work toward a solution that meets the
collaborating team’s needs. You may use this skill when the outcome of an issue is
important to you, while you value the opinions of others in the workplace. You may
prioritize finding an effective solution rather than being right in a situation.
Patience
Some collaborations can take a long time to complete, occasionally involving
compromise and flexibility. Rather than rushing toward a quick conclusion, you may
need to practice patience to reach a common and effective conclusion or
solution.Related: The Importance of Being Patient and How To Develop
Patience

Open-mindedness
 Open-mindedness is the ability to be less judgmental and more inquisitive,
introspective and considerate. It is one of the impactful skills regarding
collaboration. The skill allows you to see differing opinions as valuable and thrive in
diverse environments where you can interact with people with unique ideas and
backgrounds. Related: 10 Steps To Become More Open-Minded
Positive attitude
A positive attitude makes you optimistic, motivated and enthusiastic about
your work. In a collaboration, your attitude can help you improve others’ moods,
collaborate more effectively and increase your job satisfaction. Others will
appreciate the passion and joy you bring into the work environment.Related: 10
Ways To Have a More Positive Attitude at Work
Teamwork collaboration skills
Here are some of the collaboration skills needed to promote teamwork in the
workplace:
Organization
Organizational abilities refer to how you can plan your daily tasks and time.
It’s beneficial to have organizational skills when collaborating with others because it
can help you develop a schedule for the team to adhere to when working. You may
find it helps keep the team on track and plan their days efficiently to complete high-
quality work.Related: 10 Examples of Organization in the Workplace
Decision-making
Making decisions is a valuable skill demonstrating your ability to think
objectively and weigh different options. With these skills, you can make informed
decisions once you’ve collected all the relevant information and data and
considered multiple viewpoints. All are important in collaboration at
work.Related: 15 Techniques To Improve Your Decision-Making Skills
Flexibility
The ability to adapt to various situations and challenges is essential in
collaboration. When you are flexible, you can understand various perspectives, find
alternative solutions to problems and alter your work responsibilities or processes
as needed.Related: How To Be Flexible at Work (With Tips and Examples)
Conflict resolution
The ability to resolve conflicts is often seen as a leadership trait. This allows
you to identify conflicts, pinpoint the cause, acknowledge different opinions and
build a consensus. It also makes you more likely to set personal differences aside so
collaborative work can continue.Related: How To Mediate Conflict in the
Workplace (With 9 Tips)
Time management
 When decisions need to be made quickly in collaboration, you may benefit
from time management skills to keep track of important deadlines. Time
management will also help you deliver timely status reports to keep everyone
updated on challenges and solutions. If you have complex issues with multiple
decisions to make, time management can help you stay organized during each
stage of the decision-making process.
Professionalism
Professionalism refers to skills and behaviors that show you respect others.
As an employee with a professional attitude, you show courteousness to others,
take responsibility for your tasks and prove you’re a dependable team
member.Related: Why Professionalism Is Important in Every Aspect of
Work
Leadership
Whether you work in a supervisory position, leadership skills can be valuable
assets in your career. Leadership abilities mean you can motivate, instruct and offer
guidance to others. People with leadership skills are confident in their abilities to
help others work, collaborate, problem-solve or succeed at their responsibilities.
Project management
Project management is an acquired skill that lets you apply professional
information, expertise, tools and strategies to project activities to meet the
organization’s requirements and specifications. To be effective in project
collaboration, you can help your team set a project objective and deadline and use
all resources to meet this goal within the allotted time.Related: The Importance
of Project Management (With Examples)
Critical thinking
Critical thinking skills allow you to understand and address situations based
on all available facts and information. The critical thinking process typically includes
collecting information and data, asking thoughtful questions and analyzing possible
solutions. These skills help your team work together for a common
goal.Related: The Best Ways To Strengthen Your Logical Thinking Skills
Self-motivation
Self-motivation allows you to take the initiative. You typically need minimal
supervision to start or complete your duties in collaboration or individual tasks. Self-
motivation requires traits like independence, resilience, initiative and
ambition.Related: How To Stay Self-Motivated at Work
How to improve your collaboration skills
Here are a few ways you can improve your collaboration skills in the workplace:
1. Set precise goals
When leading a project, it’s essential to set measurable goals and objectives. For a
team to complete its tasks efficiently and effectively, it’s vital they all understand
the purpose and vision behind the project and how to determine its success.
Establishing transparency builds trust and inspires further collaboration. Likewise,
identifying goals before you start a project may ensure everyone commits to
success and aligns with a common purpose.Related: 10 Effective Goal-Setting
Techniques for Achieving Your Goals
2. Communicate your intentions
When working with others, state your intentions before beginning a task or
assignment. Inform your teammates about what you’re doing and set realistic
timeline expectations. Then follow through on your promise. If an unexpected
challenge happens and the team can’t deliver the expected results, communicate
these changes, too.Related: Collaborative Activities and Strategies To
Improve Learning
3. Listen and learn to compromise
When working closely with others, it’s vital you listen closely to each member’s
ideas and opinions while being considerate and respectful when responding. While
you may have your own ideas about the project’s direction or how the team can
perform each task, it’s critical to consider your colleagues’ opinions. A helpful way
to approach differing perspectives is to reach a compromise. Work with each other
until you come to a solution that each party feels satisfied with going forward on the
project.Related: The Importance of Teamwork (Plus 11 Ways a Team
Benefits From It)
4. Overcome challenges and solve problems without assigning blame
When working with others, challenges can arise or individuals make mistakes. In
these circumstances, it’s essential to analyze the issue together, calmly and without
placing blame on a single team member. Focus on working together to find
solutions.It’s important you’re willing to forgive mistakes when others make them
and take responsibility when you make an error. This may help increase trust
between members and ensure everyone feels comfortable communicating, even if
they make a mistake.Related: 65 Collaboration Tools To Promote Teamwork
5. Celebrate collaboration and its successes
Recognizing results and celebrating positive outcomes together are essential
activities for effective collaboration. If you’re managing a team, set up performance
rewards or bonuses for collaborative efforts to show employees that teamwork is
equally important as individual achievement. Even if you’re not in a leadership
position, it’s crucial you take time to commemorate achievements with your
colleagues.Related: 22 Ways To Celebrate Wins at Work
Upgrade your resume
Showcase your skills with help from a resume expert
How to highlight collaboration skills
Here are a few ways you can highlight your skills during a job search:
On your resume
On your resume, there are a few sections you can highlight your collaboration
skills. For example, you can create a section dedicated to your skill set and include
collaboration on the list.Alternatively, share how you collaborated with former
colleagues or clients in previous roles in your experience section. Sharing that
you’re a collaborative individual on your resume can help show employers you’re
flexible in your working style and your ability to work with others to complete a
task.Related: How To Make a Comprehensive Resume (With Examples)
In your cover letter
For a cover letter, you have some options for discussing your skills. One way
you can do this is by sharing skills you may not have included on your resume to
demonstrate with companies you have a wide skill set to help you accomplish
tasks.When you select the skills to discuss in your letter, highlight how you have
used the skill in the past. Detail the events that happened and how your abilities
helped those around you.Additionally, highlight your skills by expanding on the list
you provided on your resume. This can look similar to sharing a story when
introducing a new skill.Related: How To Write a Cover Letter (With Steps,
Examples and Tips)
At a job interview
During a job interview, a hiring manager may ask you about the skills that
have prepared you for the role you’re applying to earn. This is an opportunity for
you to discuss your ability to collaborate well with others directly.In an interview,
the company may ask situational and behavioral questions to determine how you
work and your typical reaction or approach to challenging situations. In answering
these questions, you may discuss your collaboration abilities and how you can use
those skills to help a situation.
Understanding the Importance of Processes and Procedures
Processes and procedures are like the backbone of an organization’s
operations. They give us a systematic and structured way of doing things, like tasks,
activities, and workflows.
Knowing how important processes and procedures are is crucial for your business. It
helps us recognize their value and understand how they impact our overall
performance.
Let’s talk about some of the awesome benefits they bring:
Streamline Operations
Processes and procedures act as a roadmap for us. They give us clear
instructions and guidelines to follow, step by step. This makes it easier for
employees to do their work effectively and efficiently. When everyone is on the
same page, tasks are performed consistently, errors are reduced, and quality goes
up.
Reduce Errors
Consistency is the key to delivering reliable products or services. When we
have processes and procedures in place, we can achieve a high level of consistency
in our operations. Customers and stakeholders can trust us to consistently deliver
what they expect from us.
Increase Efficiency
Efficiency is a big deal. Well-designed processes and procedures help us
streamline our workflows, get rid of unnecessary steps, and make the best use of
our resources. When we standardize and optimize our processes, we cut down on
waste, save costs, and boost productivity.
Improve Customer Satisfaction
Our customers matter, right? When we perform tasks consistently and
efficiently, our customers benefit from a reliable and smooth experience. Happy
customers mean increased loyalty, positive word-of-mouth referrals, and a
competitive edge in the market.
Foster Continuous Improvement
Here’s the cool part: Processes and procedures give us a foundation for
continuous improvement. We can document and analyze our existing processes to
find areas where we can make them even better. By adapting to changing business
needs, incorporating best practices, and staying ahead of the game, we can remain
competitive in a dynamic marketplace.
So, the bottom line, processes, and procedures are the key to success for
your business. They give us structure, efficiency, customer satisfaction, and a path
to continuous improvement. By implementing and improving our processes, we can
achieve operational excellence and keep up with the competition.
Strategies for Effective Implementation of Processes and Procedures
Alright, now that we understand how important it is to implement processes
and procedures effectively, let’s dive into some strategies that can help you achieve
success.
Assessing Your Business’s Needs
Before you go ahead and implement new processes and procedures, it’s
crucial to take a good look at your business needs. This means conducting a
thorough assessment to understand where you currently stand and identify areas
that need improvement. This assessment forms the basis for developing tailored
strategies for effective implementation.
Here’s what you can do:

Evaluate Existing Processes

Start by evaluating the processes and procedures you already have in place.
Figure out their strengths and weaknesses and whether they align with your
business goals. Look at factors like efficiency, effectiveness, scalability, and
adaptability.
Engage Stakeholders
Get input from stakeholders across different levels of the organization, like
employees, managers, and executives. They have valuable insights into the
challenges and issues faced in carrying out tasks. Conduct interviews, surveys, and
workshops to gather their feedback.
Analyze Relevant Data
Take a close look at relevant data and metrics. Review performance
indicators such as productivity levels, turnaround times, error rates, and
 customer satisfaction scores. This data gives you quantitative insights into
areas that need improvement and helps you prioritize the implementation of
new processes and procedures.
Consider External Factors
Don’t forget to consider external factors that might impact your business
needs. This includes changes in regulations, technological advancements, market
trends, and customer expectations. Assess how these factors may require changes
or improvements in your processes and procedures to stay competitive and meet
evolving demands.
Be Open to Feedback
Throughout the assessment, be open to feedback and listen to your
employees’ concerns and suggestions. Foster a culture of transparency and
collaboration where people feel comfortable sharing their perspectives. This builds a
sense of ownership and engagement during the implementation process.
Prioritize Improvement Areas
Based on your assessment findings, prioritize the areas that need immediate
attention. Identify specific goals and objectives you want to achieve through the
implementation of new processes and procedures. This will guide your efforts and
ensure that the implementation process targets the most critical needs of your
business.
In a nutshell, assessing your organization’s needs is a crucial step in
implementing effective processes and procedures. By evaluating existing processes,
engaging stakeholders, analyzing data, considering external factors, and prioritizing
improvement areas, you can develop a clear roadmap for successful
implementation. This assessment forms the foundation for tailoring strategies that
align with your business’s unique requirements and drive positive outcomes.
Setting Clear Goals and Objectives
Setting clear goals and objectives is super important when it comes to
successfully implementing new processes and procedures in your
organization. Having clear goals gives you direction and purpose. They guide your
implementation efforts and help you measure progress and success.
Here’s what you can do:
Align Your Goals and Objectives
Start by aligning your goals and objectives with the overall strategic vision of
your business. Understand the long-term objectives and desired outcomes that your
business wants to achieve. This alignment ensures that the implementation of new
processes and procedures directly contributes to the organization’s overarching
goals.
Make them SMART
When setting goals, make sure they are specific, measurable, attainable,
relevant, and time-bound (SMART). Specific goals give you clarity and focus on what
needs to be done.
Measurable goals allow you to track progress and evaluate success.
Attainable goals are realistic and within reach. Relevant goals align with your
organization’s needs and priorities. Time-bound goals have a set timeframe for
completion, creating urgency and accountability.
For example, a specific and measurable goal could be to reduce customer
service response time by 20% within six months. This goal is attainable and
relevant to improving customer satisfaction, aligns with the business’ focus on
exceptional customer service, and has a clear deadline for achievement.
Communicate Effectively
Make sure to communicate your goals effectively to all stakeholders involved
in the implementation process, including employees, managers, and executives.
Clear communication helps everyone understand the goals, gain buy-in, and feel a
sense of ownership and commitment.
Break Down Your Goals
Break down your goals into smaller, manageable objectives. This allows for a
step-by-step approach and ensures that progress can be measured along the way.
Each objective should be specific, actionable, and aligned with the overall goal.
Assign responsibilities to individuals or teams for each objective to ensure
accountability and a clear understanding of who is responsible for achieving them.
Track Your Progress
Regularly track and monitor your progress toward your goals and objectives.
This helps you identify any deviations or challenges and make the necessary
adjustments. Use key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure progress and
evaluate the effectiveness of the implemented processes and procedures. Regular
monitoring allows for proactive course corrections and keeps your implementation
efforts on track.
Simply put, setting clear goals and objectives is crucial for successful
implementation. By aligning them with your organization’s strategic vision, making
them SMART, communicating effectively, breaking them down into smaller
objectives, and tracking progress, you create a clear roadmap for achieving desired
outcomes. Clear goals and objectives provide focus, accountability, and a sense of
purpose throughout the implementation process.
Developing a Comprehensive Plan
Developing a solid plan is super important for successfully implementing new
processes and procedures in your business. A well-structured plan gives you a
roadmap and guidance to carry out the implementation process effectively and
efficiently.
Here’s what you can do:
Break Down the Process
Start by breaking down the implementation process into manageable steps.
Figure out the key milestones, tasks, and activities needed to achieve your desired
outcomes. Create a timeline that shows the sequence of these steps and sets
deadlines for each phase. This timeline keeps your implementation on track and
ensures smooth progress.
Identify Dependencies
Consider the dependencies and connections between different tasks and
activities. Some tasks may rely on others being completed first, while others can
happen concurrently. By identifying these dependencies, you can prioritize tasks
and allocate resources accordingly, avoiding delays and bottlenecks.
Provide Resources
Allocate the necessary resources, both human and technological, to support
the implementation process. Determine the staffing requirements and skills needed
for each task or activity. Make sure the people responsible for the implementation
have the right training, knowledge, and support to do their jobs effectively. Also,
assess the technological infrastructure and tools required to support the
implementation, like software systems or communication platforms.
Mitigate Risk
Anticipate and address potential risks and challenges that may come up
during the implementation. Identify possible obstacles, such as resistance to
change or limited resources, and develop strategies to minimize their impact.
Taking a proactive approach helps you handle challenges effectively and maintain
momentum throughout the implementation.
Communicate the Strategy
Share the implementation plan with all stakeholders involved, including
employees, managers, and executives. Clearly communicate the objectives,
benefits, timelines, and expected outcomes of the implementation. Transparent
communication promotes understanding, generates support, and encourages
collaboration among all stakeholders.
Put the Plan to the Test
Consider piloting or testing the new processes and procedures in a controlled
environment before implementing them organization-wide. This allows for
adjustments and improvements based on feedback and lessons learned. Piloting
helps you identify and address any issues or areas for improvement before rolling
out the processes and procedures to everyone.
Review and Improve
Regularly review and update the plan as needed. The implementation
process may require adjustments based on evolving needs and feedback received
during the implementation. Being flexible and adaptable ensures that your plan
remains relevant and effective throughout the implementation journey.
Overall, developing a solid plan is crucial for successful implementation. By
breaking down the process, identifying milestones and dependencies, allocating
resources, addressing risks, communicating the plan, and allowing for testing and
adjustments, you create a roadmap that guides your implementation efforts. A well-
structured plan sets the foundation for the smooth and successful implementation
of new processes and procedures in your business.
Assigning Responsibilities and Roles
Assigning clear responsibilities and roles is super important for successfully
implementing new processes and procedures in your business. When people
understand their roles and responsibilities, they can contribute effectively to the
implementation efforts and ensure that tasks are coordinated smoothly.
Here’s what you can do:
Clearly Define Responsibilities
Start by clearly defining the specific responsibilities for each task or activity
involved in the implementation process. Identify the key roles needed for successful
implementation and consider the skills and expertise required for each role. This
could include project managers, team leaders, subject matter experts, or trainers.
Assign individuals to these roles based on their competencies, knowledge,
and experience. Take into account their availability and workload to ensure they
can dedicate the necessary time and effort to their assigned responsibilities. It’s
important to strike a balance between leveraging existing expertise within the
organization and providing opportunities for growth and development.
Communicate Expectations
Communicate the assigned responsibilities and roles to the individuals
involved in the implementation process. Clearly outline their tasks, expectations,
and deliverables. Help them understand how their contributions align with the
overall objectives and desired outcomes. This creates a sense of ownership,
accountability, and purpose.
Encourage Collaboration
Foster collaboration and teamwork among the individuals involved.
Emphasize the importance of working together towards a shared goal. Encourage
open communication, knowledge sharing, and problem-solving. This collaborative
approach creates synergy and ensures everyone is aligned and working towards the
same objectives.
Establish mechanisms for coordination and decision-making. Clearly define
lines of authority and make sure individuals know who to approach for guidance or
approval. Regularly scheduled meetings or check-ins can be helpful for keeping
everyone informed, addressing challenges, and making collective decisions.
Provide Support
Support individuals in their assigned roles by providing the necessary
resources. Ensure they have the tools, training, and information needed to carry out
their responsibilities effectively. Offer guidance and mentorship where needed. This
support empowers individuals to perform their roles with confidence and
competence.
Track Progress
Regularly monitor progress and provide feedback to individuals based on
their performance. Recognize and celebrate achievements while addressing any
issues or challenges that may arise. This ongoing feedback loop keeps individuals
motivated and engaged throughout the implementation process.
In short, assigning roles and responsibilities is vital for successful
implementation. By clearly defining responsibilities, communicating expectations,
promoting collaboration, providing support, and tracking progress, you create a
framework that allows people to contribute their expertise and help implement new
processes and procedures. Assigning tasks and roles promotes accountability,
teamwork, and purpose.
Communicating the Implementation Plan
Clear and transparent communication of the implementation plan is super
important for successfully implementing new processes and procedures in your
business. Effective communication ensures that everyone is aware of the plan, its
objectives, timelines, and expected outcomes. It promotes understanding, buy-in,
and collaboration, creating a supportive environment for the implementation
process.
Here’s what you can do:
Create a Communication Strategy
Start by developing a communication strategy that outlines key messages,
target audiences, communication channels, and frequency. Consider the different
stakeholders involved, like employees, managers, executives, and other relevant
parties. Tailor your communication approach to their needs and preferences.
Craft Understandable Messages
Craft concise and clear messages that effectively convey the purpose and
benefits of the implementation. Highlight the positive impact it will have on the
organization, teams, and individuals. Use language that is easily understandable,
avoiding jargon or technical terms that may create confusion.
Use Various Channels
Utilize different communication channels to reach different audiences. This
could include emails, newsletters, intranet platforms, team meetings, town halls, or
training sessions. Choose the channels that are most effective in reaching and
engaging the intended audience. Consider using visual aids like infographics or
presentations to enhance understanding and retention of information.
Encourage Two-way Dialogue
Foster two-way communication by encouraging feedback, questions, and
open dialogue. Create opportunities for individuals to express their concerns,
provide suggestions, or seek clarification. Build a culture of transparency and
psychological safety where people feel comfortable expressing their thoughts and
opinions.
Address Issues Proactively
Address any concerns or resistance to the implementation plan proactively.
Anticipate potential questions or objections and prepare responses that directly
address them. Emphasize the benefits and positive impact the implementation will
bring to businesses and individuals. Tailor your messaging to address specific
concerns or challenges that different stakeholders may have.
Provide Regular Updates
Keep stakeholders informed and engaged by providing ongoing updates and
progress reports throughout the implementation process. This creates a sense of
involvement and ownership. Celebrate milestones and achievements along the way
to maintain motivation and excitement.
Ensure Consistency
Lastly, ensure that communication is consistent and timely. Be responsive to
inquiries and provide timely feedback or clarification. Regularly assess the
effectiveness of your communication efforts and make adjustments as needed to
ensure that key messages are effectively conveyed.
Summing up, clear and transparent communication is vital for successful
implementation. By creating a clear communication strategy, crafting
understandable messages, using various channels, encouraging two-way dialogue,
proactively addressing concerns, providing ongoing updates, and ensuring
consistency, you establish a communication framework that promotes
understanding, engagement, and collaboration throughout the implementation
process. Clear communication helps your business implement new processes and
procedures effectively.
Training and Development
Providing proper training and development opportunities is super important
for successfully implementing new processes and procedures in your business.
Training equips employees with the knowledge, skills, and competencies they need
to adapt to and excel at new ways of doing things. It ensures a smooth transition
and fosters a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
Here’s what you can do:

Assess Training Needs

Start by assessing the training needs of your employees based on the
changes introduced by the new processes and procedures. Identify the specific
areas where training is required, such as learning new software, understanding
revised workflows, or acquiring additional skills needed to perform tasks effectively.
Develop a Training Plan
Create a comprehensive training plan that outlines the objectives, content,
methods, and timeline for delivering training. Choose the most suitable training
methods based on the nature of the processes and procedures and the learning
preferences of your employees. This could include instructor-led training, online
courses, workshops, simulations, or on-the-job training.
Consider utilizing internal subject-matter experts or trainers who have
expertise in the new processes and procedures. They can provide insights,
guidance, and practical examples specific to your business. Additionally, external
training resources like industry experts or specialized training providers can offer
valuable perspectives and best practices.

Utilize Appropriate Methods

 Ensure that the training is accessible and inclusive. Provide training materials
in multiple formats to accommodate different learning styles and preferences. Make
the training sessions interactive and engaging to enhance the retention and
application of knowledge. Encourage active participation and provide opportunities
for hands-on practice and feedback.
Evaluate Effectiveness
Continuously evaluate the effectiveness of the training programs. Gather
feedback from participants to assess the relevance, clarity, and impact of the
training. Monitor the application of newly acquired knowledge and skills in the
workplace. Use this feedback to make necessary adjustments to the training
programs and ensure they meet the needs of your employees.
Encourage Continuous Learning
Foster a culture of continuous learning and development beyond the initial
training. Encourage employees to pursue ongoing learning opportunities related to
the new processes and procedures. This can include workshops, conferences, online
courses, or mentorship programs. Support and invest in employees’ professional
growth as it contributes to their effectiveness in implementing and sustaining the
new processes and procedures.
Recognize Achievements
Recognize and celebrate the achievements of employees who have
successfully embraced the new processes and procedures. This reinforces the
importance of training and development, motivates others to engage in learning,
and creates a positive environment for growth and improvement.
Therefore, training and development are crucial for successful
implementation. By assessing training needs, developing a comprehensive training
plan, using appropriate methods, evaluating effectiveness, fostering continuous
learning, and recognizing achievements, you empower employees to adapt and
excel in new processes and procedures. Training and development create skilled
and knowledgeable workers who can effectively implement and sustain
organizational changes.
Monitoring and Evaluation
Monitoring and evaluation play a vital role in successfully implementing new
processes and procedures in your business. They help you track progress, assess
effectiveness, and make data-driven decisions to ensure the changes are achieving
the desired outcomes.
Here’s what you can do:
Establish KPIs
Start by setting key performance indicators (KPIs) that align with the
objectives of the new processes and procedures. These KPIs should be measurable
and reflect the impact and effectiveness of the changes. Examples include
productivity metrics, error rates, customer satisfaction scores, or process cycle
times.
Regularly monitor performance against these KPIs to track progress and
effectiveness. Collect relevant data and information to identify trends and areas for
improvement. Use technology tools, reporting mechanisms, and data analytics to
streamline the monitoring process and gain meaningful insights.
Collect Feedback
Gather feedback from employees directly involved in the implementation
process. This can be done through surveys, focus groups, or one-on-one
discussions. Their perspectives and insights provide valuable information about
challenges, successes, and areas for improvement. Encourage open and honest
feedback to foster a culture of continuous improvement.
Assess Impact
Evaluate the impact of the new processes and procedures on the business as
a whole. Assess whether the intended benefits, such as increased efficiency,
reduced costs, or improved customer satisfaction, are being realized. Compare
performance and outcomes before and after the implementation to identify
significant improvements or areas that need attention.
Identify Bottlenecks
Identify any bottlenecks, challenges, or deviations from expected outcomes.
Analyze the root causes of these issues and develop action plans to address them
effectively. This could involve process redesign, additional training, resource
allocation adjustments, or changes to supporting technologies.
Communicate Findings
Share the findings from monitoring and evaluation with all stakeholders.
Communicate the progress, successes, and areas for improvement. Transparency
builds trust, demonstrates a commitment to continuous improvement, and
encourages collective ownership of the implementation process.
Make Data-Driven Decisions
Use the insights gained from monitoring and evaluation to make data-driven
decisions. Identify opportunities for optimization, fine-tuning, or expansion of the
implemented processes and procedures. Continuously adapt and improve based on
feedback and outcomes observed during monitoring and evaluation.
Monitoring and evaluation provide a systematic assessment of implemented
processes and procedures. By setting KPIs, collecting feedback, evaluating impact,
identifying bottlenecks, communicating findings, and making data-driven decisions,
you keep the implementation on track and achieve the desired results. Monitoring
and evaluation foster a culture of continuous improvement that optimizes
operations and drives long-term success.
Identifying Areas for Improvement
Identifying areas for improvement is a crucial step in successfully
implementing new processes and procedures in your business. It allows you to
assess the effectiveness of the changes and find opportunities for refinement and
optimization.
Here’s what you can do:

Evaluate Performance Metrics

 Regularly evaluate the implemented processes and procedures to identify
areas for enhancement. Review performance metrics, gather feedback from
stakeholders, and analyze insights from monitoring and evaluation activities. Look
for patterns, trends, and areas where improvements can be made.
Gather Feedback
Encourage employees to provide suggestions and ideas for improvement.
Foster a culture that values continuous improvement and innovation. Employees
directly involved in the implementation process often have valuable insights into
practical aspects and challenges. Create channels like suggestion boxes or team
meetings for employees to share their suggestions and ideas.
Benchmark
Stay informed about advancements in your industry, technological
innovations, and changes in customer expectations. Benchmark your
processes and procedures against industry best practices and emerging
trends. Identify any gaps or areas for improvement to stay competitive and
deliver superior results.
Process Improvement Exercises
Consider conducting exercises like value stream mapping or process mapping
to identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, or unnecessary steps. These exercises help
visualize the flow of work, identify areas of waste, and streamline processes. Involve
employees from different levels and departments to gain diverse perspectives and
insights.
Involve Stakeholders
Involve stakeholders in the identification of areas for improvement. The
implemented changes impact executives, managers, and employees. Seek their
input and feedback to ensure their experiences and needs are considered. Engaging
stakeholders creates a sense of ownership and commitment to driving
improvements.
Prioritize Improvements
Prioritize areas for improvement based on their impact and feasibility. Assess
the potential benefits, costs, and resource requirements for each improvement.
Focus on improvements that align with the organization’s objectives and have the
greatest potential to enhance efficiency, quality, or customer satisfaction.
Develop Action Plans
Develop action plans to address the identified areas for improvement. Clearly
define specific steps, responsible individuals, timelines, and expected outcomes for
each improvement. Communicate the action plans to stakeholders to ensure clarity
and understanding.
Monitor Progress
Continuously monitor the progress and outcomes of improvement initiatives.
Assess the impact of implemented improvements and gather feedback from
stakeholders. Adjust action plans based on feedback and new insights gained during
the implementation process.
Continuous improvement of processes and procedures relies on identifying
areas for improvement. Evaluate performance metrics, gather feedback, benchmark
against industry best practices, involve stakeholders, conduct process improvement
exercises, prioritize improvements, develop action plans, and monitor progress.
Your business’ success depends on identifying and implementing improvements.
Continuous Improvement and Adaptation
Continuous improvement and adaptation are crucial principles for
successfully implementing new processes and procedures in your business.
By embracing a mindset of ongoing improvement and staying adaptable, you can
optimize operations, respond to changes, and drive sustained success.
Here’s what you can do:

Continuous Improvement Culture

Create a culture of continuous improvement throughout your organization.
Encourage employees at all levels to actively seek enhancement opportunities and
share their ideas. Establish channels for feedback and collaboration, like regular
team meetings or suggestion platforms, to encourage open discussions and idea
sharing.
Review Performance
Regularly review performance metrics and gather feedback from
stakeholders to identify areas for further improvement. Analyze the collected data
and use it to inform decision-making. Taking a data-driven approach ensures that
improvements are targeted and focused on areas with the greatest potential
impact.
Encourage Experimentation
Foster an environment where employees feel empowered to experiment and
innovate. Encourage them to try new approaches, test ideas, and learn from both
successes and failures. Celebrate and recognize employees who take initiative in
driving positive change. Encourage cross-functional collaboration and knowledge
sharing to leverage diverse perspectives.
Stay Agile
Stay agile and adaptable in the face of change. Monitor the external business
environment, industry trends, and customer expectations. Proactively identify
potential challenges or opportunities that may require adjustments to your
processes and procedures. Embrace new technologies, methodologies, and best
practices to further enhance operations.
Communicate the Importance
Regularly communicate the importance of continuous improvement and
adaptation to all stakeholders. Clearly articulate the benefits and value it brings to
the business and its employees. Encourage a growth mindset where learning and
development are seen as integral to personal and organizational success.
Provide Resources and Support
Allocate the necessary resources and support for continuous improvement
initiatives. Provide time, budget, and tools that empower employees to pursue
improvement projects or engage in training and development activities. Support
their efforts by providing training, coaching, and mentorship opportunities.
Foster Innovation and Growth
Establish mechanisms for capturing and implementing improvement ideas.
Create a structured process for evaluating and prioritizing improvement initiatives.
Assign responsibilities and accountability for driving these initiatives forward. Track
the progress and outcomes of improvement projects and communicate the results
to stakeholders.
Recognize and Celebrate Achievements
Regularly celebrate and recognize achievements resulting from continuous
improvement efforts. This reinforces the importance of ongoing enhancement and
motivates employees to continue seeking improvement opportunities.
Overall, your company’s long-term success depends on continuous
improvement and adaptation. Foster a culture of continuous improvement, stay
agile and adaptable, encourage experimentation, provide resources and support,
communicate the importance of ongoing enhancement, and recognize
achievements. Continuous improvement ensures your processes and procedures
adapt to the changing needs of your business and stakeholders, sustaining success
and competitiveness.
Addressing Challenges and Overcoming Resistance
When organizations implement new processes and procedures, they often
face challenges and encounter resistance from employees. It’s important to
proactively address these issues to ensure the successful adoption and integration
of the changes.
Let’s break it down:

Understanding the Source of Resistance

First, identify and understand the specific challenges and sources of
resistance that may arise. This could include fear of change, a lack of awareness or
understanding, concerns about job security, or skepticism about the benefits of the
new processes. Knowing the root causes helps develop targeted strategies to
address them effectively.
Communicate Effectively
Effective communication plays a critical role in addressing challenges and
overcoming resistance. Clearly and consistently communicate the reasons for the
change, the benefits it brings, and the support available during the implementation
process. Tailor your messages to address specific concerns or challenges
employees may have.
Involve Employees
Involve employees in the change process by seeking their input and
feedback. Create opportunities for them to express concerns, ask questions, and
share their perspectives. Actively listen to their feedback and address their
concerns empathetically. This involvement fosters ownership, increases
engagement, and reduces resistance.
Provide Training and Support
Offer adequate training and support to employees during the transition.
Ensure they have the knowledge and skills needed to adapt to the new processes.
Provide additional resources like job aids, documentation, or one-on-one coaching
to support their learning and implementation efforts. Empower employees to
actively participate in the change and provide them with the necessary tools and
resources to succeed.
Address Concerns
Address perceived or real threats to job security by providing clarity on how
the changes will impact job roles and responsibilities. Offer reassurance and
guidance on how employees can adapt and thrive in the new environment. Provide
opportunities for professional development and growth to demonstrate a
commitment to their success.
Lead by Example
Lead by example and show commitment to the change. Leaders and
managers should model the desired behaviors and actively support the
implementation of the new processes. Engage in open and transparent
communication, address concerns promptly, and provide ongoing feedback and
guidance. This leadership approach builds trust and confidence among employees.
Recognize and Celebrate Wins
Recognize and celebrate small wins and milestones along the way.
Acknowledge and reward employees’ efforts and achievements in adapting to the
changes. This recognition boosts morale, reinforces positive behaviors, and creates
a supportive environment for the implementation process.
Monitor Progress
Regularly assess the progress and impact of the changes. Monitor the
adoption and integration of the new processes. Collect feedback from employees
and stakeholders to understand their experiences and identify ongoing challenges
or resistance. Adjust your strategies and approaches as needed to effectively
address emerging issues.
By proactively addressing challenges and overcoming resistance, you can
ensure the smooth implementation of new processes and procedures.
Understanding resistance, communicating effectively, involving employees,
providing training and support, addressing concerns, leading by example,
recognizing achievements, and continuously assessing progress create a supportive
environment that encourages change and integration.
Celebrating Success and Recognizing Achievements
Celebrating success and recognizing achievements is a key part of
implementing new processes and procedures within your organization. By
acknowledging milestones and accomplishments, you create a positive and
motivating environment that fosters engagement, teamwork, and ongoing
commitment to the changes.
Here’s how you can make it happen:

Establish Milestones
Start by setting clear milestones and goals that signify significant progress in
the implementation process. These could include key deliverables, successful
adoption of the new processes, or positive outcomes resulting from the changes. Be
specific about what success looks like and communicate these criteria to all
stakeholders.
Communicate Progress
Regularly update the organization on the progress and achievements. Share
updates, milestones, and positive outcomes through various channels like emails,
newsletters, team meetings, or company-wide announcements. Highlight the
impact and benefits of the changes on the business, teams, and individuals.
Recognize Teams and Individuals
Recognize and appreciate the efforts and contributions of individuals and
teams that played a vital role in the implementation process. Celebrate their
achievements and publicly acknowledge their dedication and hard work. You can do
this through verbal praise, written appreciation, awards, or team celebrations.
Encourage Peer-to-Peer Recognition
Foster a culture of peer-to-peer recognition and appreciation. Create
opportunities for employees to recognize and celebrate each other’s contributions.
This can be done through platforms like recognition boards, dedicated channels on
the company’s intranet, or regular team meetings where individuals can express
gratitude and acknowledge their colleagues.
Make Celebrations Inclusive and Meaningful
Ensure that celebrations and recognition events are inclusive and meaningful.
Tailor them to the preferences and interests of the individuals and teams involved.
This could include team lunches, small gatherings, certificates of appreciation, or
personalized tokens of recognition. The key is to create a positive and supportive
environment that values and appreciates their accomplishments.
Share Success Stories
Highlight success stories and share best practices. Show examples of how the
implemented changes have positively impacted the business, teams, or individuals.
By sharing these stories, you not only recognize achievements but also inspire and
motivate others to embrace and excel at the changes.
Celebrate Small Wins
Foster a culture of continuous improvement by celebrating not only major
milestones but also small wins along the way. Recognize and appreciate the efforts
of individuals and teams who demonstrate continuous learning, adaptability, and
innovation. Celebrating these incremental successes creates a positive feedback
loop that reinforces desired behaviors and encourages ongoing improvement.
Assess the Impact
Regularly assess the impact of the changes and use the insights gained to
inform future celebrations and recognition efforts. Seek feedback from employees
and stakeholders to understand their experiences and preferences for recognition.
Adapt and refine your strategies based on this feedback to ensure their
effectiveness.
Therefore, celebrating success and recognizing achievements is crucial for
successful implementation. By setting milestones, communicating progress,
recognizing individuals and teams, encouraging peer-to-peer recognition, making
celebrations meaningful, sharing success stories, celebrating small wins, and
assessing the impact, you create a culture of appreciation and sustain business
success.
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Using Workflow Automation Tools for Efficient Implementation
In today’s digital age, workflow automation tools have become super
important for businesses that want to implement processes and procedures
effectively. These tools offer a bunch of benefits that make things easier, faster, and
more seamless.
Let’s dig into how workflow automation tools can help make implementation
successful:
Streamlined Process Execution
First off, these tools streamline the execution of processes. They let
businesses digitize and automate their tasks, which means no more manual and
time-consuming work. By automating repetitive steps, employees can focus on
more important stuff, which leads to better productivity and faster execution. Plus,
these tools provide a centralized platform where you can design, execute, and keep
an eye on workflows, making sure everyone’s on the same page.
Increased Visibility and Transparency
Workflow automation tools also give you real-time visibility into the progress
of your tasks. Managers and stakeholders can easily see what’s going on, identify
any issues, and step in when needed. This boosts transparency, holds everyone
accountable, and helps make timely decisions. You can even get insights into how
your processes are performing, find areas to improve, and use data to make smart
decisions and optimize your implementation efforts.
Standardized and Consistent Execution
Another cool thing about these tools is that they enforce consistency. By
defining workflows within the tool, you ensure that tasks are done the same way
every time, following your rules and guidelines. This reduces mistakes, cuts down
on rework, and improves the overall quality of your output. Plus, automation tools
have built-in checks and validations, so you can make sure you’re meeting
compliance requirements and regulations.
Efficient Task Assignment and Collaboration
When it comes to task assignment and collaboration, workflow automation
tools make things super efficient. Assigning tasks is a breeze because the tools
automatically send them to the right people or teams based on your criteria.
Everyone stays in the loop with notifications and reminders about their
responsibilities, deadlines, and dependencies. And with collaboration features,
employees can easily communicate, share information, and work together on tasks
within the tool. It creates a smooth and efficient work environment.
Enhanced Tracking and Reporting
These tools also offer awesome tracking and reporting capabilities. You can
generate detailed reports on how your processes are performing, how long they’re
taking, how resources are being used, and other important metrics. This lets you
analyze the data and find areas to optimize and improve. With comprehensive
analytics at your fingertips, you can make informed decisions, refine your
processes, and keep getting better at implementation.
Integration with Other Systems
Many workflow automation tools even integrate with other systems and
applications. That means you can exchange data seamlessly and keep information
flowing smoothly between different processes. You can connect your workflow
automation tool with customer relationship management (CRM) systems, enterprise
resource planning (ERP) systems, and other relevant tools to make sure everything
works together seamlessly.
By using workflow automation tools alongside your processes and
procedures, you can make them even more effective and efficient. These tools
streamline execution, boost visibility, enforce consistency, foster collaboration,
provide robust tracking and reporting, and integrate with other systems.
By harnessing the power of workflow automation, you can optimize your
implementation efforts and achieve seamless integration, resulting in better
productivity, higher quality, and improved outcomes for your business.
Conclusion: Implement Processes and Procedures in Your Business
Effectively
In conclusion, implementing new processes and procedures is crucial for your
business’s success. By following the strategies and insights discussed in this article,
organizations can lay the foundation for enhanced performance and seamless
integration.
It requires collaboration, commitment, and a shared vision among all
stakeholders. Embrace the opportunities, overcome challenges, and celebrate
achievements along the way.
Effective implementation is an ongoing process that requires adaptability and
continuous improvement. By doing so, businesses can position themselves for
sustained growth and a competitive edge in today’s dynamic business landscape.
Additionally, the effective implementation of processes and procedures,
combined with the utilization of workflow automation tools, sets the stage for
organizational success. It enables businesses to achieve their goals, enhance
productivity, and deliver exceptional outcomes.
By adopting these strategies, businesses can navigate the ever-changing
business landscape, stay competitive, and drive sustainable growth in the long run.
Take action now and embark on the journey of implementing new practices for long-
term success.
 Information Sheet 5.1-2
Generate practical action plans for improving work procedures, processes

Introduction:

Process improvement starts with a desire to make things better in your

business. In this guide, you’ll learn how to accomplish that, including what
process improvement is, how it works, how to identify opportunities, its
failures, steps, how to choose techniques, and how to apply useful software in
healthcare. Plus, experts provide valuable advice on how to implement a
program in your business.

What Is Process Improvement?

Sometimes referred to as business process improvement (BPI), process

improvement means breaking down all the activities and procedures in your
company and identifying where you can implement efficiencies and
enhancements. Process improvement should be performed during regular
organizational development, and when businesses are restructured.

Practitioners identify, analyze, and improve upon existing business

processes to meet new standards or goals by modifying or eliminating a
process, or complementing with sub-processes. After making decisions about
what to change, conduct an analysis on any tangible improvements.

Process improvement is more complex and challenging than most

managers realize and requires using a systematic approach with one of the
available methodologies. Without this structured approach, momentum for
change is near impossible to maintain. Further, bad habits and poor workflows
become normalized in a busy working environment.

One example of a structured methodology is benchmarking, which is a

continuous improvement methodology that compares performance metrics
and best practices across companies and industries. This ten to twelve step
approach capitalizes on what companies are doing in a similar industry that
can help shepherd improvement into another industry’s companies.

Practitioners of process improvement should always incorporate change

management principles, so they can have a systematic way of dealing with
any process changes. Change management seeks to ensure that any changes
made to processes are implemented correctly and its benefits are realized
over time. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, about 60 percent
of improvement initiatives fail over time due to team resistance and poor
communication. Change management principles ensure that your initiatives
succeed by removing these roadblocks and implementing a plan to avoid the
typical mistakes.

One helpful concept in process improvement is process mapping, which

is the creation of workflow diagrams that show all steps in a process and any
parallel processes. Before changes are made, practitioners can visually show
where processes are and what steps they involve, which can possibly reveal
bottlenecks.

In healthcare, process improvement focuses on moving towards a value-

based model for treating patients. Process improvement and its
methodologies are a key component in the future of healthcare. Healthcare
administrators will use data, standardization, and the reduction of process
variation, and will benefit from using the same methodologies as business,
such as Lean and Six Sigma.

There is much debate about process improvement as a discipline and

whether one specific methodology is best. Process improvement is a generic
term that refers to the simple principles of identifying opportunities, making
changes, and measuring the changes’ affects. Some practitioners add a
methodology to their terminology, such as continuous improvement (Kaizen),
which is a Lean process improvement methodology.

Below are the key concepts of this this type of process improvement:

 It is a mindset, not a one-and-done activity. As a mindset,

activities become a part of the regular workflow. Make it a practice, not
a one-time event.
 For best results, practice across your whole agency. Every part of
your business should be willing to regularly review their workflow for
improvements. Without the entire business on board, there is a risk that
optimizations in one department actually cause another department to
become less effective. For example, if your IT improves a software
program but your HR does not improve the training to include this
software, users can become frustrated and at the worst, lose time and
work.
 Your business will deliver more value faster. Using a systematic,
scientific approach to process improvement, you will notice your
 business can deliver better outcomes in a shorter period. The proof is in
the metrics.
Every type and facet of business can benefit from process improvement.

Some specific examples include the following:

 Information Technology (IT):

IT is part of all sides of process improvement. Most IT departments

serve not only external customers, in the case of technology firms, but
also their internal customers and departments, as well. Strong IT can
become a tool for process improvement throughout a business, as they
can combine with other parts of the company to provide a value stream
and implement their own process improvements to better serve their
external and internal clients.
For example, in a data center, the amount of power a company
has determines how many services they can supply. Purchasing or
developing the ability to measure power usage at the user level is their
first step. IT would review the measurements of each user monthly to
determine identify overages and possible violations.

They would use this information to determine if certain activities

(such as streaming music and mining for cryptocurrency) require more
power and then put policies in place that disallow them.

 Government: Although notoriously challenging due to their need for a

low risk environment, improving processes in government is possible,
and some would say even critical. Some examples of process
improvements in government include looking at permitting processes
for the inefficiencies, gaps, and possible ways to expedite.

Another process improvement opportunity for government

services is to collocate them, where possible, to better serve customers
who need several services. For example, instead of visiting several
agencies to get their birth certificate, passport, and traveling warnings,
they could go to one location using the same system.

 Warehouse: Warehouses are hotbeds for inefficiencies. Customer

demand for variety constantly increases the number of assorted
products needing to be stored, tracked, and shipped.

Improvement projects can focus on slot analysis, optimization of

product storage, improvement of pick path flows, labeling of products,
 housekeeping, lighting, and the constantly needed reconfiguration of
the storage system.

 Software: Especially in service-delivery software firms, failure demand,

also known as requests to correct mistakes, is a huge source of waste.
For process improvement, these firms should focus on why customers
are calling and if there are consistent reasons for the failure demand.
This process would take place instead of the typical metric of reducing
cost per call answered in order to increase customer satisfaction and
free up new service capacity.

What Are Process Improvement Goals and Objectives?

Businesses are in business to thrive and make money. Whether a

company is trying to remove waste and friction or improve customers
satisfaction, performing basic process improvement initiatives in a measured,
structured way can make a difference. Other goals or objectives for process
improvement projects can include the following:

 Decrease process time.

 Improve the quality of products and services.
 Be in better compliance with regulations or laws.
 Meet customer demands and goals.
 For drastic transitions.
 To address the root cause of deficiencies.

What Are the Steps in a Process Improvement Project?

When process improvement is successful, the business’ goals and

needs, as supported by processes, are optimized. Practitioners start with the
business needs and then figure out which processes support them. Next, they
analyze the processes for any necessary improvements, gaps, and
bottlenecks. Leaders can then focus on redesigning and reorganizing the
processes where necessary, and possibly designating different staff or
departments to own them. Innovative technology to support these processes
may be considered or determined.

Sophie Miles is the CEO & Co-Founder of elMejorTrato.com.

“Organizations have an obligation to continuously improve their business
management processes,” she explains. “For this they must measure the
performance and the value added to the company, using corrective actions
when necessary. This management is the most effective to improve the
quality and efficiency of companies, and thus achieve the initial objectives.
Improvement should be applied to all the processes that are crucial for a
company's development, although it is also good to have optimized every last
process that is carried out. The latter is more complicated, but if we improve
the bulk of the processes we usually work with, the benefits will be
enormous.”

Miles recommends taking the following five generic steps:

1. Define the processes that make up the organization and the

most important key indicators of each phase of the process. It is
necessary to know the indicators and measure them to know where the
improvements should be carried out. For example, if you are digitizing the
administrative part of the company, the key indicators would be the reduction
of time in manual tasks and cost savings, among others.
2. Determine the phase(s) of the process in which it will seek to
improve the indicator that was initially chosen. It is better to modify the
phases one by one, as this will show the accuracy of the results achieved. If
too many things are changed simultaneously, you will not be able to tell
whether or not the change was positive.

3. Once you plan the phase(s) that must be improved, design

the process. Be clear about what objectives you want to achieve.
Once the design has been established, choose the technological resources to
carry out the processes, measure their results, etc. Next, define the timings of
the process and respect it when you start. Finally, involve the team from the
beginning of the improvement process.

4. Mark the appropriate objectives you want to reach and identify

opportunities for improvement and what resources are needed
to achieve those objectives.

5. Using metrics, constantly monitor and follow the process. The

objectives that were given in an improvement process may change over
time. Consistently review the processes and see if they change, in
addition to noting if they have achieved the improvements they wanted.

4 Steps for Continuous Process Improvement

As the world changes and technologies evolve, so does process

improvement. More formally, and regardless of discipline, practitioners can
follow four steps for regular or continuous process improvement:

1. Recognize the Need for Change: Whether you conduct regular

process audits or have a great idea, notice areas in your company that
have issues. Perhaps there are many issues. Prioritize these needs by
reviewing how each problem and its associated processes affects your
business and customers. At this stage, ask the following questions:

 What is the purpose of each process?

  Who is the customer that each process effects?
 Where are the pain points?

David Chaudron, Ph.D. and Managing Partner at Organized Change

Consultancy, advises, “Prioritizing what needs to be improved is one of the
most important decisions a company can make when implementing process
improvement. The questions to ask are:

 What process limitations are getting in the way of achieving our

strategic goals?
 What systems do we need to put in place to make continuous
improvement a permanent part of our culture?
 How do we measure the improvement, given the results may be hard to
quantify?

“It is easy to overtrain employees and inundate them with tools and
techniques they may rarely use. Senior management needs to be trained to
identify the systems in a company and focus on getting them aligned with
company strategy. Once specific issues are identified, simple problem solving
and measurement techniques are best. If there are specific operational issues
where results are easily quantified and manipulated, more sophisticated
techniques, such as experiments, can be used.”

2. Review Your Current Processes Closely: Once you have figured out
what processes need to be revamped, you will need to review the
procedures they are part of, so you understand from beginning to end
what is related. There are many tools you may use for analysis,
including process mapping, cause and effect analysis, and operational
surveys. Regardless what you use, you should also be asking the
following questions:

 Which steps in the process have bottlenecks?

 Are there any break points in the process?
 Where are the most delays?
 Where do the costs escalate?
 Where does quality suffer?

3. Get Executive Sponsorship and Staff Buy-In: Before you can really
decide on changes, you need to ensure your senior management and
staff are on board. Present your case for change and what effects the
issues have on the business to senior management. You need to help
the staff understand that change is meant to improve their work as well
to get buy-in.

4. Develop Your Improvement Strategy: Now that you have completed

your process analysis phase, it is time to develop a strategy to fix
 problems. It’s time to figure out how some of the processes may be
fixed and set goals that align with your business’ strategic plan.

How to Identify Process Improvement Opportunities

In the global business climate, companies are always looking for ways to
usurp their market rivals. To help your company be competitive, process
improvements are a critical component of your overall strategic plan of
growth and expansion. Whether you have a staff improvement specialist, or
have a culture of improvement throughout, someone should be familiar with
all your business processes.

A firm grounding in how your business works overall should not just be
left to employees, however. Higher-level management should have enough
engagement that they can identify opportunities. Outside improvement
consultants should interview as many employees as possible, especially those
in key positions.

All company process should be charted out visually. Whether you

choose casual workflows or more formal BPMN diagrams, identify the core
business processes first. Gather and earmark data that describes inputs and
outputs of the processes with each visual. These could include things like
inventory, costs, monthly sales, customer demand, production lead time,
labor hours required, and space requirements.

Ask the experts (also known as your employees) where they think waste
occurs. They can help you determine processes or portions of processes that
do not add value. Conduct a root cause analysis to identify opportunities for
process improvements.

There are many opinions on how to prioritize your improvement

processes and possible projects. One way is to rank opportunities based on
the following:

 Legal requirements, national guidelines, or industry necessities

 Projects aligned with your strategic plans, mission, or institutional
objectives
 Improvements that are important to staff or stakeholders
 Improvements that address issues or processes that elevate risks, cause
problems, or occur in high volume
 Realistic improvement projects for your team

Robert D. Sollars, is a consultant and the author of Unconventional

Customer Service. He offers another way to begin process improvement:
“Look at your procedures and figure out what isn’t needed or can be tossed
out because it is outdated and virtually unworkable.
 Defy conventional wisdom and plow your own field to get the job
accomplished. You need an outstanding knowledge of your company and its
processes before you can try to change it. Usually this takes, even for
managers, at least six months before they feel comfortable at even
suggesting change.

Some people make the mistake of attempting to make changes that

they do not know anything about immediately after taking over. This only
makes the law of unintended consequences apply and things get more
messed up than ever. Know as much as possible before you begin trying to
change anything.”

Process Improvement Failures

Even with the best of intentions and resources, businesses get

embroiled in process improvement projects that fail. If you have already
developed a culture of improvement, and have buy-in and the right tools, you
can be successful—in theory. In a qualitative study, researchers identified the
below top ten reasons for initiative failure:
 Lack of managerial support
 Inadequate communication
 Teams with insufficient skill sets
 Inadequate training
 Poor choice for process improvement methodology
 Lack of incentive for success
 Scope creep
 Teams too small or not diverse enough
 Lack of follow-up
 Not using change management methods
These may be self-evident, but there are still some questions to
consider:

1. Are you performing point optimization? Point optimization occurs

when one business unit or program is excelling. These units are
optimized as much as possible, but they are surrounded by or
connected to other business units or programs who are suboptimal.
Your system is only as strong as its weakest subsystem.
2. Are you focusing too much on the cost? Saving money is the point,
but to save money you need to work smarter and not harder. Consider
splitting work into different functional areas, outsourcing low skill work,
focusing your staff on fewer types of tasks, using incentives, and
scheduling staff more closely to increase efficiency.
3. Are you over-relying on technology? Do not let your technology lull
you into false security. Add some low tech to your day by having regular
staff check-ins, whether a ten-minute daily standup or a weekly
 meeting.
4. Are you adding more process to your process? The only authentic
way to improve a process is to add checks, balances, constraints, or
policies to your existing processes. The goal is not to add complexity or
additional steps, but clarity.
5. Are your processes the master of common sense? It is important
to give your staff clear instructions, but they should also be given the
leeway to improve things based on what is happening around them.
They need enough guidance to understand the vision and intent of the
processes, but also enough authority to override processes when they
do not make sense.
6. Are you taking human nature into account? At the end of the day,
your staff are still people. It is all well and good to design something
that makes sense for the business needs, but if you are not appealing to
the people performing the work in some way, there could be a fatal flaw
in the workflow. Remember to include people in the design and consider
human nature when testing a new process.
7. Are you getting buried in the jargon? Hiring people who have the
right credentials and experience for their position is important, but you
need to be clear about business needs. For example, you could be
looking for a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt on paper, but in actuality need
someone with soft skills to assist with change management. Don’t
forget that methodologies can be learned, but that it is much harder to
teach skills like leadership and compassion.

What Is a Process Improvement Methodology?

Every consulting firm and process improvement practitioner will tell you
that their preferred methodology is the best. This can leave an organization at
a loss when considering the substantial number of competing disciplines all
meant to achieve a similar goal. In this section, you will find an overview of
the most popular and well-researched methodologies, including Kaizen, Total
Quality Management, Six Sigma, Lean, and more.

Kaizen

A Japanese word for improvement, Kaizen refers to all the activities that
constitute a continuous improvement and involves everyone in the company
from the top down. This strategy, born in the Toyota company after World War
II, is part plan and part philosophy. In a manufacturing facility, the action
engages everyone in specific improvement events, especially those on the
manufacturing floor, and the philosophy pushes the culture to constantly ask
for suggestions and improvements until it is a natural way of thinking. Kaizen
works together with standardized work, known as the best current practices.

To run your own Kaizen event, use this template to keep track of your
work.

Kaizen events usually last about a week, and have a facilitator focusing
on a specific problem. This graphic depicts the seven steps to getting a Kaizen
event off the ground:

Total Quality Management

With theory that predates both Lean and Six Sigma, Total Quality
Management (TQM) practitioners have four tenets:
 Use a systematic approach.
 Customers govern the quality level.
 Everyone works toward the same goal.
 Monitor for results.

Developed by William Deming, TQM comprehensively reviews the

internal guidelines and process standards to decrease errors. The
methodology is mainly used in manufacturing, but is also applied in the
military, manufacturing, medicine, and finance, as it targets line production,
its corresponding practices, and industry standards. Decisions are made
based on facts and performance metrics, and organizational communication is
encouraged to maintain employee buy-in. For more on TQM, see “A Quality
Principle: Everything You Need to Know about Total Quality Management.”

Six Sigma

The goal of Six Sigma is to eliminate defects and thereby improve the
bottom line. The methodology borrows from TQM heavily, but shows a true
improvement over TQM. According to researchers, Six Sigma targets TQM’s
weaknesses and improves upon them.

Six Sigma takes from the mathematical concept of standard

deviation (referred to as the Sigma), which is a statistic that tells you how
closely all the data points are to the mean (the central tendency) for a given
process. When all the data is tightly clustered around the mean, the variation
is small; When the data is spread apart, the variation is large — standard
deviation is measured by this distance.

On a bell-shaped curve, one standard deviation from the mean in either

direction accounts for 68.2 percent of all the data in a group. Two standard
deviations account for 95 percent of the data. Three standard deviations
account for 99 percent of the data, and so forth.

The goal is Six Sigma, which means that all the data is as close to being
tightly aligned with the mean as possible, so that defects are less than four in
one million measured. In the manufacturing world, this means that less than
four in one million products manufactured have defects. This mathematical
model evolved to not only decrease manufacturing defects, but also to
decrease defects company-wide. To learn more about Six Sigma, review “Six
Sigma for Beginners.”

Lean

At first blush, Lean seems like a collection of different techniques and

tools. The two main tenets of Lean are continuous improvement and valuing
people. Starting as a manufacturing process, Lean quickly became a business
methodology. In Lean, practitioners try to find waste and remove it.
Techniques include team exercises, error proofing, and cross-training. Waste
comes in all shapes and sizes. The seven main examples of waste are show
below:

 Moving goods or services

farther than necessary
 Delays between stages
 Unnecessary movement of
employees (i.e., travel)
 Overproduction
 Overprocessing
 Errors
 Misusing or under-utilizing
the skill sets of employees

Adam Ward, an Associate

Partner at Simpler Consulting (an IBM Company) and author of Lean Design in
Healthcare is a Lean expert. He believes that Lean is the number one tool for
improving repetitive operations. “I have a bias for eliminating the waste first
before reducing variation, as there is little reason to make a wasteful process
more efficient,” Ward explains. “As such, I like to apply Lean principles
beginning with value stream mapping to identify key waste areas and
establish flow cells that match takt (customer demand). Once the process is
leaned out, then Six Sigma principles can be used to reduce variation with
various tools, such as control charts and DMAIC.”

Ward has experience with Lean in a variety of fields, but one story
stands out. “One of my favorite stories was with one of the branches of the
military. Before we came in, the troops were pushing a torpedo the equivalent
of a marathon during rebuilds. We got everything set up in the waste-free
manner and reduced that number to several hundred yards.”

If you’re just getting started using Lean to help eliminate waste, Ward
advises, “I would advise new practitioners to just keep doing good work and
the results will speak for themselves. Once you have a core group of
practitioners the momentum will build. Make sure you keep the business
leader in your corner and that they are your biggest evangelist. be patient
and do the right thing.”

Not necessarily a discipline on its own, rapid improvement can include

Kaizen and the Just-Do-It frameworks. The point of rapid improvement is to
quickly put solutions into place once you identify the problem and the
solution. Not every problem in a company will require the rigor of Six Sigma,
and using that methodology in every instance can give your process
improvement initiatives a negative cast.

Agile

Mainly used in software development, Agile is the project management

technique that helps with unpredictable environments. Agile uses
incremental, iterative steps arranged in sprints, or development cycles.
Teams build in rapid feedback, continuous development, and quality
assurance into these iterations. Decisions must be made quickly in an Agile
environment, but proponents of Agile say that resources are used more
efficiently, problems are identified and fixed quicker, and there is increased
collaboration among users.

How to Choose the Right Methodology for Your Company

The simplest way to decide approach to use is to either leverage your

senior leadership’s experience or hire a consultant. Many consultants use
routine strategies that are meant to implement, train, and provide short-term
support.

You can also use the following problem-solving approach:

1. Identify the problem.

2. Analyze the problem for a root cause.
3. Develop alternate solutions.
4. Select the approach that makes the most sense. Here is where you
would hire outside help if you do not have the inside expertise.

If your organization is more mature, you’ve likely already completed

some improvement exercises. As a part of your assessment and strategy, use
this historical information to determine what worked and did not.

When selecting a process improvement approach, consider the different

methodologies. Sometimes, methodologies are used interchangeably. For
example, Kaizen and Six Sigma are both continuous improvement
methodologies that focus on improving efficiency. Six Sigma focuses on
output, or the final product, rather than the culture. Lean concentrates on
eliminating waste, and the rapid improvement methodologies start with the
end in mind. Lean and Six Sigma have been combined into a methodology
that has had success for many companies that some researchers consider to
be the gold standard.

According to some experts, if the problem is complex, has been difficult

to solve in the past, or causes a lot of variance in your products, you should
use Six Sigma to solve it. If you want to get more done quickly, or want to
eliminate non-value-add activities, turn to Lean. You can also combine Lean
and Six Sigma. If you need to approach the issue quickly and get quick
results, consider a Kaizen event. If you know the answer to a problem and can
make the change within 24 hours (and return to the original state in 24 hours
if it does not work), then apply rapid improvement. These are a few of the
many methodologies available presented at a high level.

Sometimes a methodology speaks to a practitioner and as such,

choosing one is more a matter of what someone has learned, rather than a
methodical review. At a minimum, all process improvement methodologies
share the philosophy that businesses and their process can be improved.
Earlier methodologies subscribe to the idea that statistics and measurements
are essential. Finally, they all share the idea that the people closest to the
work have the best insight into how to improve it.

The Process Improvement Processes

 There are several different cycles you can tap into to lend structure to
your process improvement projects. The difference between these “cycles” is
in the definition of the steps. The following chart shows the differences:

Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) Cycle

The goal of TQM, Lean, and any continuous process improvement

methodology is to speed up and increase the value passed to customers. This
is a continuous cycle of four steps: plan, do, check, act. Regardless of the
actual term used in each step, it involves the following:

 Plan: Implementation and assessment of a new or current process must

be planned. Practitioners should carefully plan the metrics, initially
erring on the side of smaller changes and measurement.
 Do: Perform the plan developed in the previous step and measure.
 Check: Gather the results and measurements from the previous step
and assess them. Compare this data to what is expected, and review
the process during this step. The best way to see differences in the
process and outcomes is to chart them and look for trends.
 Act/Adjust: Now is the time to enhance or adjust the process. Using
data from the prior two steps, you can determine the root causes of any
issues. At this point, you should also evaluate risk. If your actions or
adjustments were effective, you will not see the same issues during
your next cycle.
Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control (DMAIC)
Associated with Six Sigma, DMAIC stands for define, measure, analyze,
improve, and control. This scalable process is similar to the PDCA cycle in that
it is an improvement cycle that focuses on existing processes.

Below are the DMAIC components:

 Define: Formulate the business problem, including all goals, resources,
timeline, and scope. Identify your customer, what they need, and how
the problem affects them.
 Measure: Before you know how much you want to improve, you need
to know your baseline. The team must decide what to measure and
what realistic improvements you can make to this baseline over the
potential root causes of the problem and in what proportion they cause
the problem.
 Improve: Once you have fleshed out the problem’s root causes, you
need to identify, test, and try the solutions, whether in part or whole.
 Control: To ensure the changes stick, they must be embedded in the
process. Perform any approvals or workflow changes to ensure they will
become part of the new process.

Alex Membrillo is the CEO of Cardinal Digital Marketing advises. “Be

sure to have a project management plan in place, as you’ll need to effectively
manage the teams or individuals working through your improvement
process,” he says. “The other aspect to consider, not outlined in the DMAIC
method, is available budget for implementing your improvement process.

Often, it can be easy to identify a problem, but you may not have the
needed resources or capital to correct it. Factoring your available budget into
the process improvement plan can allow you to develop solutions that the
company can afford. Often, we develop plans that are set up in phases to help
keep project costs on budget and include provisions for reallocating increases
in revenue or earning generated by your previous improvements.”

Whether you choose the PDCA or the DMAIC cycle is up to you and the
needs of your project. PDCA is the basic, cyclic methodology that predates
others and relies on a qualitative approach. DMAIC relies more heavily on data
and is better for projects that pose more risk or expense. Use a quantitative
approach and statistics to problem solve using DMAIC and think of it as a
flowchart with an endpoint.
Define, Measure, Analyze, Design, Verify (DMADV)
The DMADV cycle is the same as the DMAIC cycle in Six Sigma, except it
is used for new processes. Since you are developing a process, the last two
steps are necessarily different.

The basic steps in DMADV are as follows:

 Define: Keeping in mind your company’s overall strategic plan, define
the goal of the process.
 Measure: The critical to quantify factors are captured in this step.
These factors are your customers’ critical needs, divided into the factors
that customers use to evaluate their quality. Those factors are divided
again by the performance requirements you need to provide a high-
quality product.
 Analyze: Review potential design options.
 Design: This is the process development step.
 Verify: The new process is piloted, ensuring that the design meets both
the process and the customer goals.

Define, Review, Identify, Verify, Execute (DRIVE)

DRIVE is another approach to the PDCA and DMAIC cycles, except it is

not a cycle of a flowchart with an end. DRIVE is formatted as separate things
to consider during process improvement, which can help you to analyze a
problem using different approaches. If possible, put different people in charge
of each step.

DRIVE includes the following aspects:

 Define: Determine the scope of the problem, alongside what success
 would look like in fixing the problem.
 Review: During the review step, decide on metrics after you gain a full
understanding of the background and situation, via a review.
 Identify: Acknowledge necessary changes and viable solutions.
 Verify: Check the proposed improvements to see if they will bring
about the expected changes.
 Execute: Implement the changes, gather feedback, and perform a
review.

How to Pick the Right Process Improvement Tool for Your Situation

To pick the right tools for your project, first become acquainted with
what is available and what the tool does. Next, get to know your project.
Irrespective of the process improvement methodology you choose, you can
always dip in and out of other methodologies and use the tools and
techniques that suit your situation. The following are different tools and
techniques, why one would use them, and what methodology they derive
from.

Process Mapping

Process mapping, also called brown paper process mapping and

analysis, refers to creating detailed visual displays of all the steps from
beginning to end. These visuals help to manage workflows. Examples of
process maps include flowcharts, swim lane diagrams built in BPMN, state
diagrams, data flow diagrams, and value stream mapping. Assembling
process maps enables organizations to understand and picture the steps,
inputs, outputs, resources, team members, strengths, and weaknesses in
each process. For more information see “Essential Guide to Business Process
Mapping.”

Statistical Process Control (SPC)

Statistical process control (SPC) is the tool of TQM that mathematically

reduces the variation. SPC uses statistics to scrutinize and control a process.
Using industry standards, quality data is compiled in real time during
manufacturing and graphed with control limits set by the process capabilities.
When data falls in the control limits, it means the operations are working as
expected.

Simulation

Acting as a powerful tool for process improvement, simulation is an

efficient way to scrutinize your operations under a variety of conditions. Most
simulation is done with a software program targeted to the specific process.
You can insert randomness and experimentation into a simulation to help your
business figure out what they would do and possible breakpoints.

Kanban

One of the tools of continuous process improvement methodologies is a

visual workflow tool called Kanban. You can also use this tool for projects that
require rapid improvement on specific projects and teams. Write each step (in
the case of one project) or project on sticky notes, notecards, or tickets, and
arrange the visual cards in columns that display the stage of each task or
project (examples include ready, doing, and done, and to do, in progress, and
completed).

Other concepts for Kanban boards include work in progress (WIP) limits,
which limit the maximum number of work steps or projects in each column —
this helps keep your teams narrowly focused. Others include a backlog for
ideas and projects (often called the parking lot), and the delivery point that
details the amount of time each task takes to move from the first stage to the
last. This is where the continuous improvement comes in: the time from the
first to last column should decrease.

Operations Analysis

Sometimes called operational research or industrial engineering,

operations analysis is the study of an operational system to improve it. There
are six steps to operational analysis:

1. Outline the problem. The best problem statements get to the root of
the issue without posing solutions or explaining what the problem is not.
The problem statement format should contain the object and the defect.

2. Determine what data you have and what data you need. Strong
data collection is not for the faint of heart. Be extremely specific about
what questions you are trying to answer. For example, if you are trying
to figure out whether your product modification works for your
customers, ask them specific questions about the modification, not
whether they enjoy the product. Benchmarking looks at the best
practices in your industry and in other industries and then determines
how your data lines up.

3. Determine the patterns. Some data collected is more important that

other data. If you follow the Pareto principle, which states that 80
percent of your effects or problems are caused by 20 percent of your
issues — or better yet, that 80 percent of your results come from 20
percent of your actions — then you understand that fixing some pain
 points has a larger effect than others. Experts suggest that a visual
analysis of your processing will provide a distinct perspective than will
words on paper or telling the story.

Be aware that random variations can occur and may not

constitute a trend. Finally, look for the bottlenecks that surely exist. You
can find bottlenecks just after the backlog, where you find unhappy
customers.

4. Steer clear of making rash conclusions. Before you point fingers at

anyone or decide anything, make sure that the data supports it.
Consider the effects before placing any blame.

5. Come up with solutions. Initial brainstorming sessions should be

facilitated by someone who can ensure the group is not trying to gain
an advantage over each other by shouting out disparate ideas. Instead,
focus the group on one idea and add or expand that idea into many
concepts.

Use the mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive principle

(MECE) when divvying up your ideas: Categories should be mutually
exclusive to avoid being counted more than once and drill down to
create a list of all the viable solutions. Have a category labeled “other”
so you don’t miss anything.

6. Test. Once you determine with process tweaks, test them. Tweak from
what you’ve learned and test again, until you have the process the way
you need it.

The Five Whys

This simple concept ensures that in any issue, you look behind the face
value and ask “Why?” five times until you get to the root of a problem. Each
answer to a why question forms the basis for the next question, and is meant
to be used when troubleshooting, problem solving, or in quality improvement
projects. The five whys is most effective with simple or moderately difficult
problems. This tool urges you to follow a specific track when there could be
several tracks that you need to follow.

Here is one example of how a five whys process might look:

1. Why did the software fail?

The database overloaded, causing it to seize.
2. Why is the database overloaded?
 There is insufficient space, so it seized.
3. Why is there insufficient space?
We have another piece of software that used the space.
4. Why do we have another piece of software using the space?
We planned to have them share.

Why are they sharing?

Because we do not have a dedicated database for the new software yet.
This is a simplistic example, but what you do not see in the questions is
embedded solutions. You see a portion of the answer drilling down into the
next question. This method is popular, particularly with Lean practitioners,
when trying to find out why something unexpected has happened. The
purpose of this exercise is not to place blame, but rather to uncover a root
cause. You can use this technique on its own, or as a part of a fishbone
diagram (shown below).

A fishbone diagram is a visualization tool helps you categorize all the

potential causes of a problem so you can identify its root causes. The head of
the diagram states the problem, and you can have many different branches
for the causes.

In this example, you see four potential causes. Beneath each are the
sub-causes. In this case, there are three for each cause, but these can range
from one sub-cause to many. If you are using the five whys, choose which
cause you want to start with on one of the fins and then ask the questions. In
this example, “Method” was chosen for the first cause. You can see where to
add the answers to your five questions. Fill in more fins to review all the
plausible causes.
Swim Lanes

If you want to draw a single process map for the sake of simplicity,
consider using swim lanes. As evidenced by the name, swim lanes connotate
straight, narrow lanes of ownership. A part of Business Process and Modeling
Notation (BPMN), swim lanes are a standardized way of looking at a process
for who “owns” it, and where handoffs occur. BPMN is a straightforward,
standardized language. There are hundreds of symbols that may be used, but
the vast majority of professionals use only a handful. As you can see in the
diagram below, the “Lanes” (or swim lanes) signify who owns that portion of
the process and where the process dips to other owners.

SIPOC Analysis Diagram

A SIPOC analysis diagram looks at suppliers, inputs, processes, outputs,

and customers to define your process. These five process definers head each
of the columns in a SIPOC diagram, as specified swim lanes, and show how
each interact. The process’ scope is clear with this diagram, and it offers a
high-level view. Design your own SIPOC analysis diagram using the below free
template in Excel.

‌
Value Stream Maps

One aspect of Lean is value stream mapping, which is a way to to

visualize the flow of materials and information as the product or service goes
through its value stream. Every step of the process is accounted for in detail.
The state that you start with is the as-is or current state, and you can use
another model to develop your to-be or future state. In the example below,
time is detailed for each step of a process.
What Are Process Improvement Measurement Techniques?

There are three main measurement techniques (financial results, an

assessment tool, and a stakeholder’s opinion) to determine whether your
improvement projects are successful. Before launching a project, you should
have an obvious line of sight and measurement from your project to your
outcomes. Any one of these may be used, but the best scenario is to include
all three.

 Financial Results: Organizations measure financial results in different

ways. Whether this means short term cash flow generated on the
balance sheet, or long-term profitability, recognize what profitable
means for your company. Your improvement project should provide a
line of sight from the improvement to the financial measure or key
performance indicator (KPI). For financial measures specifically, take a
systematic approach with a baseline, standardized data requirements
and approved calculation methods.

Ensure that you include any bespoke finance department

personnel to sign off on your process to improve your credibility. From
there, develop a surveillance system, including a tracking report,
intervals for reporting, and a distribution list.

 Assessment Tool: Most assessment tools boast a detailed and defined

scoring technique that may be more qualitative in nature. The criteria
for scoring must be meticulously annotated. Consistent scorers and
documented techniques are recommended, with third party tie-breakers
where necessary.

The gold standard in qualitative data review is when you have two
independent data reviewers compare their reviews and a third reviewer
decides on any discrepancies. Improvements guided by assessment
results are usually the most successful, as long as the professionals who
perform this work are appropriately trained.

 Stakeholders’ Opinion: Companies that consider their stakeholders’

needs and perceptions add to the long-term success of their business.
There are many parties who have interest in your business, whether
they are community, employees, board members, customers, or
suppliers. Focus on the needs and expectations of these people in your
long-term strategic plan to guarantee you will have a long term. In this
way, you will measure the satisfaction and acceptance of your
stakeholders when performing and measuring your improvement
projects.

Surveys, focus groups, assessments, and benchmark studies

 ensure you have the data to develop a direct line of sight to your
stakeholders’ needs. A measure of success for any company is how key
stakeholders view them.

From a change management perspective, measuring your

initiative’s relative success can increase organizational awareness, drive
further change, and reinforce the value and desire for improvement.

Process Improvement Organizations and Resources

Two main sources of process improvement materials, knowledge, and

practices are the Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI) and the Lean Six Sigma
Academy (LSSA). LEI is a nonprofit that researches, educates, and publishes
Lean materials, collaborating with universities and other organizations to
develop a wide network for Lean practitioners.

Membership with LEI keeps Lean practitioners current with their practice
and learning materials, and it offers them access to approved materials and
other Lean professionals. If you want to get a certification with Lean, there are
several programs you can pursue, although you do not need to be certified to
practice Lean. SME has a program that is comprehensive in their concepts and
offers various levels of training.

LSSA is a training academy for Lean Six Sigma practitioners. They are
the Universal Certification Organization and Scheme Owner for Lean Six
Sigma and offer training for each of the five belt levels of Lean Six Sigma,
three belt levels of Lean, and an Automotive Engineer certification. The
organization also provides training on other improvement methods such as
Kaizen and TQM. This academy partners with other academies worldwide for
consistent standards and offers tutoring.

Process Improvement Software

Software that supports your process improvement initiatives should be

able to be used through every stage of development. Whether you are new to
process improvement, are expanding your program, or are sustaining a
thriving culture, software can help. Some organizations look for business
process management (BPM) suites of software, and others prefer using in-
house software that provides the tools needed to manage projects and
provides some flexibility to choose their own path. If you want to have a large,
comprehensive system, learn more about BPM here, as well as how to choose
software for your company.

You can also review enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems,

especially if your company is operations-focused. These solutions struggle
with continuous improvement, but the software is rapidly improving. Quality
management systems (QMS) seem like a natural choice for businesses that
want to install continuous improvement programs. They are wonderful if you
need ISO compliance, but they may not meet your operational needs. For
more information on ISO requirements that prescribe using a QMS, see “The
Ultimate Guide to ISO 9000.”

Most project management software includes features that can help you
assemble good process improvement projects, using tools like Gantt charts,
dashboards, and resource management without the strain of a large system
whose purpose is to run all your operations. A good, lightweight solution
should provide flexibility to manage initiatives, and respect how each of your
leads performs their necessary functions.

Process Improvement and Healthcare

Healthcare is one of the most rapidly changing industries. Providing

high-quality healthcare requires continuous improvement, and results in more
lives saved and a better quality of care. The Institute of Medicine (IOM)
mandated quality improvement in its report titled, Across the Chasm: Six Aims
for Changing the Healthcare System.

This report details how healthcare misses the boat when serving their
patients and needs to change dramatically. This call to action asks healthcare
to not only pay attention to stakeholders, but to constantly find ways to
reduce waste and pass those savings onto patients. In other words, the
healthcare industry needs to continuously improve their processes. According
to IOM’s Committee on Quality of Health Care in America, a leading cause of
death in the United States is a preventable adverse medical error. They
expect that somewhere between 44,000 and 98,000 Americans die annually
because of medical errors. Johns Hopkins estimates that more than 250,000
people die due to medical errors annually in the U.S.

As such, leaders in healthcare process improvement are tasked with a

critical function: While in many industries, decreasing errors saves money and
improves customer satisfaction, in healthcare, decreasing error saves lives.
These leaders need many skills, the least of which is to be able to take the
data they or their departments have gathered and operationalize it. Other
requirements necessary for a successful process improvement leader in
healthcare include the following:

 Being embedded within the operation, but still reporting to the highest
levels. This means that quality has its own identity in the organization,
and as such is credible and taken seriously.
 Being high enough within the organization to have influence, but
autonomous enough to affect necessary changes based on employee
feedback, regardless of the current administration.
  Having access to the resources to affect change. The knowledge of how
to go about challenging the current processes and make these changes
is also critical.
 Knowing the difference when system-wide change is necessary, as
opposed to just department or hospital-specific change.
 Having an executive sponsor who believes in, understands, and
supports the intent of continuous process improvement.

The final requirement for healthcare process improvement leaders is to

be the right leader, in the right place, at the right time. Healthcare systems
need to be as perfect as possible. Leaders should use the tools available to
meet this task.

Collecting the right data, using that data in analytics, appropriately

storing that data, and putting forth constant improvement beg the best
person for the job. Below are the top required skills for a healthcare process
improvement leader:

 Communication: The people performing the work should understand

the processes better than anyone else. They must also be able to share
that knowledge and effectively understand their challenges, ideas, and
knowledge. Build trust by being honest, open, and listening well.

 Build Trust: For people to trust the improvement leader, they must feel
heard and have buy-in to changes. Whether or not they can see the
future, it is absolutely a requirement to help them understand the vision
and have their backs.

 Coach: Coaches help teams and individuals move from their current
state to the vision they have for the future state. To do so, they must
build their self-esteem, so they believe in their own abilities, but also
provide them with real feedback so they know where to push harder for
improvement in themselves.

 Understand Process Management: To make improvements,

professionals should fully understand the “as-is” workflows, including
the steps, inputs, outputs, and required resources. From this, you can
develop the “to-be” process. Further, collecting the right data can help
create that future state by showing the root cause of the problem. Data
sets your fixes apart from mere guesswork.

 Understand Healthcare Personnel: Healthcare is a tough, fast-paced

environment. It is all well and good to have a theory, but theories can
fall apart in the real world. Therefore, it’s imperative to give healthcare
staff the respect and latitude to do their jobs and effective assistance to
improve their performance. Without their buy-in and expertise, you will
 never get the fixes you need to save lives.

 Ensure Constructive Conflict and Accountability: The atmosphere

that you create is critical to the personnel’s success. Cultivate an
environment where conflict is okay, but it should be respectful, helpful
conflict, rather than nasty, useless conflict. The difference is an
openness and respect for each other (and yourself). While the historical
information is important, the developed perspective makes the future a
zero-defect state. Further, everyone is held and holds everyone else
accountable.

 Have Resilience and Persistence: The adage “Rome wasn’t built in a

day” refers to the need for time to create remarkable things. Staff need
to understand that changes are continuous, and it often takes time to
see results. Further, sometimes things are challenging and do not work
immediately. Keep the faith that change for the better can happen.
Change management principles are your friend.

 See the Big Picture: While in the thick of change and details, do not
forget to constantly check the big picture for guidance. This is where
your executives and executive sponsors come in handy to make sure
that staff are keeping their big-picture vision in sight.

Finally, process improvement leaders in healthcare should have some

formal training. The business of process improvement is a science, after all,
and the concepts may be taught. Experience is the best teacher in how to
apply this science and training, but they must start somewhere. All the tools,
techniques, and methodologies found in this guide are a good place to start.

The Process improvement Plan

Successful process improvement never comes about accidentally.

Behind each success is a solid plan, meticulously developed and executed. A
process improvement plan is the steps you follow to cover all your process
improvement bases and needs. To succeed with a process improvement plan,
keep two main ideas in mind: involve staff early and make processes local
where possible. Then, you need to do the following:

 Understand the way your company communicates about its work.

 Choose a methodology to work with during your process improvement.
 Commit to continuous improvement.

To get these three things accomplished, you must think through some
groundwork:
  Link all processes to your company’s strategic plan using a process
hierarchy, which is a map that fits all your processes together to show a
high-level business model. Identify an owner for each process.
 For each process map, identify who else is affected by the process.
 Develop a procedure to ensure that each process happens and is
reviewed.
 Make sure you have continuous improvement by following up on any
issues with analysis.
 Develop documentation standards. Documentation, not tribal
knowledge, helps ensure improvements are maintained.

Now, you can follow these steps to developing a good process

improvement plan.

1. Choose a Process Collaboration Tool: There are many software

suites and cloud-based tools available to help document your process.
First, understand what will work for your disparate staff. Look for a tool
that will encourage usage, coordination, and flexibility. Your staff will
necessarily have different technology capacity levels. The following are
your criteria for a starting point:

 Accessible and shareable

 Collaborative
 Mobile-friendly
 Online
 Integrates with other tools
 Multiple functionality
 User-friendly
 Functional, yet simple

2. Develop your process hierarchy and procedures. The process

hierarchy is an overview of all your processes and how they are linked
together. The procedures are how you want these processes created,
when necessary. Taken together, this documentation ensures that your
staff can create processes where needed, while staying consistent and
apprised of required information.

3. Identify the process owners. Process owners are internal staff whose
knowledge and expertise make them appropriate owners. These people
are the informal leaders in your company. Make sure each owner
understands their role and requirements, and develops and applies a
training protocol. Provide some mapping and instruction writing training.
HR should track these ownership roles.

4. Develop company-wide communications. If the processes you have

 mapped out affect the entire company, then the whole company should
understand changes are happening. Process owners should be
identified to the whole company, so they can affect change when
needed with their colleagues’ support.

5. Develop the process flow charts. At this point, your process owners
have all the pieces in place to develop the full flow charts. Map out the
“as-is” of your processes step by step before you consider ideas of “to-
be.” Consider having an outside entity, whether a consultant or an
executive manager, to initially support this process owner. After you
develop the first draft, run it by all the staff with knowledge of its
current exists.

6. Run your processes as they are mapped out. This step, usually left
out of process mapping, ensures your documentation and your reality
match. Process mapping is considered stabilizing the processes. During
this step, identify any problems, bottlenecks, or issues that arise and
run them by the staff involved for their opinion and feedback. At this
point, you should have a list of potential improvements.

7. Improvement: Implement improvements where necessary and

realistic. Some improvements may happen slowly over time due to any
problems’ complexity. Some are easy fixes. To sustain the
improvements, consider implementing a compliance dashboard that the
quality manager can regularly review and audit. Develop intervals and a
regular routine for process improvement work.

For more information on improvement plans, to develop your own

improvement plans using free Word templates, and to see sample
improvement plans, see “Performance Improvement Plan Templates.”

How to Run a Process or Service Improvement Workshop

Many experts recommend not just leaving process improvement to the

process owners to develop intervals for improvement. Said another way, you
can and should consider having scheduled events or workshops for process
improvement away from regular work.

The length of these events or workshops can vary based on how many
processes you are hoping to improve at once and the complexity of the
issues. You could also designate one day per month or a few days in a row for
the workshop. To get started, follow these steps:

 Set Up: Determine which processes to review, who should attend,

 whether you need an executive sponsor, what you will communicate
ahead of time, event logistics, and what the staff need to know about
expectations and the process(es). Any collected data about the
processes needs to be available to the event. Also, plan for people who
may need to observe the process in action before the event.

 Show the “As-Is:” Whether you show this on brown paper or with a
complex software program, you must share the entire process to your
participants, so they can fully grasp what they are seeing. They will also
want to know what happens just before and after the process they are
reviewing. Ideas that come up during the review should be written down
and parked. This review should look for waste and opportunities for
improvement, as well as any constraints, such as functional
requirements.

 Redesign: This is the “to-be.” Taking any customer feedback first,

redesign your process(es). Begin where the “as-is” starts and make
certain the principles of the process are fully clarified. Ask whether each
step delivers on its purpose. Capture any new actions and any
necessary owners or owner changes. Compare the before and after
process. Draw out the steps, handoffs, time, and possible errors.

 Get Agreement: Making sure the whole team is present, post the “to-
be” process, and review whether the issues were addressed, stressing
any affect the new process has on its metrics. If you have full support,
move to close the event. If not, you could always have a recurring
event.

Related Process Improvement Topics

The following are brief overviews of topics related to process

improvement meant to expand your interest and knowledge around process
improvement:

 How Robotic Process Automation Can Improve

Businesses: Robotic process automation (RPA) is the automation of
processes using software robots or artificial intelligence (AI). Companies
specializing in RPA or turning to RPA for automation cite exponentially
increased efficiency and accuracy of back-end work processes that take
the onus off humans for the completion of routine, rote work. Many
businesses have improved not only their bottom line, but also their staff
satisfaction by giving humans more challenging tasks.

 Robotics Technology and Workflow Automation: Some experts cite

cost savings up to 300 percent when implementing RPA to drive their
workflows. Robotics technology uses AI and machine learning to
 improve the ROI and continuous process improvement.
 Metrics to Measure DevOps Business Improvements: DevOps is a
blended term for software development and information technology
operations, with the goal of making the software development cycle
shorter and better aligned with the company’s operations. Some metrics
to measure how good your DevOps is running are lead time,
deployment frequency, customer tickets, and automated test pass
percentage.
 Performance Management Software Improves Company
Performance: As any recruiting company can tell you, tracking
performance is critical to success. Sales leaders will also pontificate on
the success rate of their high performers and how they track them.
There are multiple software programs on the market to help perform
this tracking. Even though you may only be tracking a portion of your
staff, this activity can show a net improvement for your whole company
by making staff’s needs and linkages transparent.

An example of this, comes from Alex Weinbaum, Inbound Marketing

Manager at CNG Digital Marketing. “As a digital marketing agency, we noticed
there was a disconnect when we onboard new clients,” he says. “Our sales
team would successfully close deals and bring on new customers, but our
marketing team would need an adjustment period.

They needed to get comfortable with the new responsibilities,

strategies, and expectations now at hand. Our sales team spent days, even
weeks explaining things to the marketing team. To change this disconnect, we
now involve our marketing team during the initial sales process. We combine
both sales and marketing minds to understand the client and come up with
strategies that ultimately make the deal-close process more efficient and
successful.

They meet with the potential client firsthand and outline a strategic
game plan of what the relationship might look like once successfully onboard.
We found out our marketing team was now more prepared and comfortable to
take on the new responsibilities at hand.”

 Four Clinical Teams Needed to Drive Sustainable Improvement:

In the healthcare industry, where continuous improvement saves lives,
you need four teams to ensure success. These include your leadership
team, a clinical expertise team, a front-line team, and the improvement
workgroup. To affect real change, these teams must consider best
practices, collected analytics, and best adoption mechanisms.

 Six Steps for Improvement in Healthcare: More complex and

serious than almost any other industry, healthcare must be approached
 in a methodical manner. In order to make real change, improvement
professionals must combine performance improvement with program
improvement, use appropriate data analytics, determine the change
readiness and level of change management tactics necessary, identify
permanent improvement teams, identify clear goals that align with
evidence-based practices, and develop estimated project ROIs.

 The Five Deming Principles for Healthcare Improvement: Instead

of reinventing the science of process improvement, healthcare
professionals should take advantage of years of theory development.
Dr. Edward Deming developed the following five principles for process
improvement. Here they are worded for healthcare:

1. Quality improvement is the science of process improvement.

2. If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it.
3. Managed care manages care processes, not the care professionals.
4. Use the right data.
5. Engage the clinicians.

 Three Teams to Sustain Healthcare Quality Improvement:

Changing the structure in your healthcare organization can help sustain
quality measures, enthusiasm for improvement, and accountability.
These include a clinical implementation team, a clinical workgroup, and
a senior executive leadership team.

 How to Be Successful with Healthcare Improvement Initiatives

Using Key Staff: Buy-in from your healthcare staff can make or break
your improvement initiative. This being the most difficult of tasks,
however, you need to choose the right staff to influence the rest of the
team. These team members are called influencers and should be on at
least one of three of your clinical teams — all but your leadership team
for improvement. Choose these people carefully for the respect they
garner within their profession and workplace.
Information Sheet 5.1-3
Evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed action plans

Introduction:

Evaluating the effectiveness of a strategy entails assessing the internal

and external forces that affect strategy implementation using visual strategic
planning tools. Following are a few techniques that you can use to examine
these factors and make well-informed strategic decisions.

The process of strategy evaluation is often overlooked in the overall

strategic management process. After the flurry of activity in the initial planning
stages, followed by the reality check of executing your strategy alongside
business-as-usual, strategy evaluation is often neglected.

When this happens, strategies quickly become outdated and out-of-sync

with the changing face of the organization.

On the contrary, when an efficient strategy evaluation process is set in

place, businesses can benefit from insights and learnings from past
performance to inform more efficient decision-making.

What Is Strategy Evaluation?

Strategy evaluation is the process of analyzing a strategy to assess how
well it's been implemented and executed. It’s an internal analysis tool and
should be used as part of a broader strategic analysis for the organization when
making strategic decisions.

Typically, the strategy evaluation process involves answering questions

such as:

Are we moving forward towards achieving our core business metrics?

How much progress have we made towards our Vision?
Are our Strategic Focus Areas still relevant?
Which of our Objectives have we completed?
Do we have sufficient Projects to deliver incomplete Objectives?
Are our KPIs still effective for measuring progress towards our Objectives?
Where did we fall short of our targets? Why did this happen?
At the very least, you need to evaluate your strategy twice a year—or
better yet, every quarter. Even if you feel as though your existing company
strategy is 'too far gone' and needs a fresh start, you'll want to perform a
thorough strategy evaluation to understand what went wrong and use this
information for your new strategy.

The mistake that people often make when it comes to strategy execution,
is thinking of their strategy as a linear set of steps. In reality, the strategic
planning process requires constant iteration and evolution, with strategy
evaluation serving as a pivotal factor in shaping strategy formulation.

💡Pro Tip: A good strategy should never really 'end'. Rather, it should
morph into something more ambitious and sophisticated as goals are met.

Steps For a Successful Strategy Evaluation Process

There is no one-size-fits-all in terms of strategy evaluation, so we

encourage you to think about how your own process would look like. However,
after working on countless strategies with our customers, these are the steps
we suggest you follow for a successful evaluation process.

Step 1: Evaluation starts at the start

It may sound counter-intuitive, but ideally, you'll be kicking off your strategy
evaluation process back in the planning stage. Strategy evaluation is
essentially the process of figuring out:
 What did we do well?
 How can we improve upon what we did well?
 What did we learn about ourselves and the external environment along
the way?

One of the best ways to answer these questions is by setting effective

KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) in your planning stage so you’ll be able to
clearly measure performance in the following stages.

Let’s look at an example:

Imagine "EcoWise," a company with a vision to lead global sustainable

living. One of their core business metrics is market share, and they aim to
expand their eco-friendly products into new international markets.
One of their focus areas could be “International Market Expansion” driven by
the following objectives:

 Enter and secure a 5% market share in Europe.

 Launch at least five new eco-friendly products annually.
To understand progress towards the objectives, they set the following KPIs:
 Market Share Growth
  Product Adoption Rate
 Sustainability Ratings

By having clear KPIs that set a benchmark and allow to measure actual
results, EcoWise will be able to answer fundamental questions during the
strategy evaluation process:
 Did we meet our KPI?
 Why did we fall short?
 Was this even the right KPI?

👉🏻 How Cascade can help?

With Cascade’s planner feature, you can ensure you set all the
important elements of your strategic plan with structure and ease and assign
measurable targets at the initiative and project levels.

Step 2: Implement consistent processes and tools

Not to sound too much like a broken record, but effective strategy
evaluation requires planning that goes beyond the setting of good KPIs. You'll
also need to plan out your 'strategy rhythm'—things like:

 How often will we measure progress against our goals?

 What standardized set of reports will be used throughout the business?
 What level of detail shall we capture in our written commentary on
progress against the plan?

💡Pro Tip:

It’s important to determine these types of things up front and implement

a regime of meetings and reports throughout the organization.
We like to call this process your 'strategy rhythm' as it should form the
backbone of your organization's activities, and be maintained regularly and
consistently throughout the year.

Here is an example you can use provided by Cascade’s team of experts:

Step 3: Empower teams to evaluate their own strategies

Empowerment plays a critical role in the strategy evaluation process. Rather
than have the leadership team alone participate in your strategy evaluation,
invite stakeholders from different areas and departments to prepare their own
evaluation of how the team performed against the strategy.
Provide them with a simple framework to conduct the analysis and address
essential questions like:
  Did we meet our goals?
 What was it that helped us to succeed?
 What challenges made us fall short?
 Were our goals well set, and have they brought us closer to achieving our
overall vision?
Ideally, you'll have your teams present using the tools you defined in step 2.
This includes any strategic dashboards or standardized reports that you
agreed on previously.

Example of a strategy dashboard in Cascade

👉🏻 How Cascade can help?

Cascade’s dashboards and reports in real-time give you and your

teams an accurate picture of the strategic performance to aid in your strategy
evaluation process.

Step 4: Take corrective action

Steps 4 and 5 (below) are somewhat intertwined and should be performed

largely in conjunction with each other. If you find that you're not meeting one
of your goals, you'll want to do two things:

 Start by figuring out if the goal is still the right one.

 If it is, take corrective action to address any shortcomings.

Assuming you're still convinced the goal you've set is the right one, you need
to implement an action plan to get yourself back on track.
There are many reasons why you might be struggling to hit your goals, ranging
from relatively simple issues such as:

 Lack of resource allocation (human or financial)

 Conflicting priorities
  Ineffective tracking of targets
 Misalignment or understanding of the goal

Or your challenges may be more complex and relate to:

 Increased competition
 A significant capital shortfall
 Regulatory pressures
 Lack of internal innovation

Whatever the case, the sooner you can identify these issues, the sooner you
can start to take corrective action to ensure a more effective strategy
implementation that will get you closer to achieving your desired results.

How to identify the issue?

There are tools and frameworks you can use during the strategy
evaluation process that can give you more information about internal and/or
external factors that may be hindering your progress.

For example, a SWOT analysis can be useful to reveal what you excel at
and where you need improvement. Identifying your weaknesses is key to
understanding what might be holding your strategy back.

Another best practice is conducting a competitive analysis to gain

insights into what your competitors are doing better. By comparing your
strengths and weaknesses against theirs, you can understand where you hold
the competitive advantage and where you have gaps that need addressing.

Step 5: Iterate your plan

There are two scenarios where you'll want to iterate your plan as part of
your strategy evaluation—one being significantly more positive than the other:

Scenario 1: When you achieve your goals

In an ideal world, your plan evolves because you've successfully checked

off some or all of your strategic goals. Your plan isn't set in stone; it's flexible
and can take unexpected turns.

For instance, you might reach certain goals much earlier than anticipated.
When that happens, you shouldn't wait around for the entire plan to play out.
Instead:
  If you've met all your goals, it's time to ask if your broader focus area is
complete. If not, it's time for new goals within that focus area.
 Or, if you've successfully nailed all your focus areas, it's time to ponder if
you're closer to your vision. If not, new focus areas should come into
play.

Scenario 2: When you fall short of your goals

Now, let's consider a different scenario, where you didn't quite hit all your
goals. But here's the thing: just because you missed a goal doesn't
automatically mean you need to take immediate corrective action.

One of the key outcomes of effective strategy evaluations is the

recalibration of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).Going back to the example
in step 1, let’s say that EcoWise effectively launched 5 new products, but this
did not effectively translate into them gaining significant market share (which
was the key metric they were aiming for).
In this case, it suggests the original KPI might not have been quite right. But
you wouldn't have known that without either the KPI in the first place or the
process of strategic evaluation.

👉🏻 How Cascade can help?

The platform allows for a flexible setup of your strategy to easily make
changes to the plan if needed after the insights learned from your strategic
evaluation process. By providing full visibility, your teams and other
stakeholders will be aware of the changes in real-time!

Step 6: Celebrate successes

We've saved the most fun part of the strategy evaluation process for last
—celebrating success.

Given that your strategy will never ‘finish,’ it’s important to celebrate the
successes along the way to keep your teams motivated and engaged. The first
time you achieve a KPI or even focus areas—enjoy it!

Celebrating the success of a strategic goal is not only great for morale, but it
also sends a strong message that the execution of the plan really matters.

Strategy Evaluation Framework Example

Let's imagine how a supply chain company could tackle the evaluation of its
quarterly supply chain plan:
 1. KPIs analysis: First, they examine their KPIs to decipher which goals
they've attained and which ones are still a work in progress.
2. Team performance report: The teams get to work on crafting
performance reports, offering insights into their achievements and areas
requiring additional focus.
3. Further analysis: When certain KPIs fall short, they conduct a deeper
analysis to uncover the root causes of these performance gaps. In some
cases, they even realize that the initial KPIs might not have been the best
fit.
4. KPI evolution: If they’ve successfully met a KPI, they adapt and
introduce a new one to further advance toward key business metrics.
5. Evolving the plan: With insights and learnings from their strategy
evaluation, they refine their strategic plan, making tweaks and
adjustments as needed.

Centralized Observability: The Key To Effective Strategy Evaluation

In the realm of strategic business management, the journey to success is

all about adaptability, evolution, and continuous improvement. A pivotal aspect
of this journey is the capability to gain a holistic, centralized view of your
strategy.
Centralized observability plays a pivotal role in successful strategy
evaluation, empowering organizations to:

 Monitor KPIs and goals in real time.

 Understand how teams work together toward achieving the overarching
business goals.
 Quickly spot areas that may need adjustments.
 Foster a culture of transparency and accountability, as teams can see
how their efforts impact the broader strategy.

This unified perspective simplifies the process of assessing strategy

effectiveness and provides invaluable insights for more effective decision-
making.

This is where Cascade, the world’s leading Strategy Execution

Platform, comes into play as your strategic ally. Cascade enables centralized
observability by offering key features for goal management, performance
tracking, and strategy alignment. It streamlines the strategy evaluation
process, providing real-time data for confident decision-making.

Creating your Strategic Plan

 You now have all the background information necessary to create
your strategic plan! But this plan doesn’t live in a vacuum—so we’ll start by
revisiting your mission and vision statements and then get into the nuts and
bolts of the planning process.

Confirm your mission and vision statements

Mission & Vision

If you haven’t created formal mission and vision statements, this is the time to
do so.

 Your mission statement describes what your company does and how it
is different from other organizations in your competitive space
 Your vision statement describes a future state of what your
organization wants to achieve over time.

Where the mission is timeless, your vision is time-bound and more tangible.

Two tools that will help build your mission and vision statements:

 OAS statement: OAS stands for Objective, Advantage, Scope. Talking

through these concepts as they apply to your organization will help
formulate a vision that is tangible and interactive. Note that while this
exercise may be helpful to you, it is
optional. You can read more
about creating your OAS
statement here.
 Strategic shifts: A second tool
some people find helpful is called
Strategic Shifts. These are exercises
for the leadership team to help them
define today’s strategic priorities
vs. tomorrow’s. For example, your
leadership team may say, “We want
to shift from central control to
autonomy when it comes to our
decision-making capability.” If the whole team can get on the same page
with these shifts, it can help tremendously once you define your
objectives, measures, and projects.

If you’ve already created mission and vision statements, confirm that both are
aligned with your current strategy before proceeding to the next step.

Pro tip:

During your search for strategic planning tools, you’ve almost certainly
come across a Strategy Pyramid (shown below). This pyramid can be visualized
in countless different ways, the order of the pyramid isn’t what’s important. The
 importance lies in ensuring you’ve chosen the elements in the pyramid that
work best for your organization, and making sure those components are going
to help you achieve strategic success.

Build out your five-year plan

Develop the framework that will hold your high-level priorities

You can use your OAS or Strategic Shift exercises to help you define your
priorities and objectives—but more importantly, you need a way to manage
these elements. The way to do that is by selecting and developing a strategy
management framework that will bring all your priorities together in one
cohesive format.

Using a framework such as Balanced Scorecard (BSC), Theory of Change (TOC),

or

Objectives and Key Results (OKR) is critical to your strategic success. Many
management teams fail at this point simply because of their disorganization!

Note: Choose only one of these three frameworks, as they have numerous
similarities!

The Balanced Scorecard

The Balanced Scorecard, developed by Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton,

has been one of the world’s top strategy management frameworks since its
introduction in the early 1990s. Those who use the BSC do so to bring their
strategy to life, communicate it across their organization, and track
their strategy progress and performance.

The BSC divides up your objectives by perspectives—financial, customer,

process, and people—and themes, like innovation, customer management,
operational excellence, etc. (The idea of perspectives is fully developed in
Norton and Kaplan’s book The Balanced Scorecard: Translating Strategy
into Action.) Here’s an example:

1. Financial goals—“What financial goals do we have that will impact our

organization?”
2. Customer goals—“What things are important to our customers, which will in
turn impact our financial standing?”
3. Process goals—“What do we need to do well internally, to meet our customer
goals, that will impact our financial standing?”
4. People (or learning and growth) goals—“What skills, culture, and
capabilities do we need to have in our organization to execute on the process
that would make our customers happy and ultimately impact our financial
standing?”

For an in-depth look at how your organization could use the BSC, check out
this Full & Exhaustive Balanced Scorecard Example.

Theory of Change (TOC)

The Theory of Change is a logic model that describes a step-by-step approach to

achieving your vision. The TOC is focused on how to achieve the change
you’re looking for, and is popular amongst mission-driven organizations who
are describing a change they’re making in the world instead of putting change
in their pockets.

The idea behind TOC is that if you have the right people doing
the right activities, they’ll affect change on your customers, which will impact
your financials, and bring you closer to your vision. A great example of a this
theory of change is the nonprofit RARE.

According to the Harvard Family Research Project, the steps to create a

TOC are:

1. Identify a long-term goal.

2. Conduct “backwards mapping” to identify the preconditions necessary to
achieve that goal.
3. Identify the interventions that your initiative will perform to create these
preconditions.
4. Develop indicators for each precondition that will be used to assess the
performance of the interventions.
5. Write a narrative that can be used to summarize the various moving parts in
your theory.
 Objectives & Key Results (OKRs)

OKR was originally created by Intel and is used today in primarily two ways: At
the enterprise/department level and at the personal performance level.

 Objectives are goals.

 Key results are quantitative measures that define whether goals have been
reached.
he idea is that your defined objectives and measurements help employees, managers,
and executives link to and align with overall strategic priorities. Not only does OKR
strive to measure whether objectives are successful, but also how successful
they are.

Define your objectives, measures, and projects.

The strategic planning frameworks above are all meant, in different ways, to help you
organize your objectives, measures, and projects. So it’s critical that these elements
are well thought-out and defined.

Here’s how objectives, measures, and projects interact:

You have a high-level goal in mind—your objective. Your measures answer

the question, “How will I know that we’re meeting our goal?” From there,
initiatives, or projects, are put in place to answer the question, “What
actions are we taking to accomplish our goals?”
We’ve defined each of these concepts more thoroughly below with a few business
strategy examples:\
 Objectives are high-level organizational goals. The typical BSC has 10-
15 strategic objectives.
Examples include:
1. Increase Market Share Through Current Customers (Financial)
2. Be Service Oriented (Customer)
3. Achieve Order Fulfillment Excellence Through On-Line Process Improvement
(Internal)
4. Align Incentives And Rewards With Employee Roles For Increased Employee
Satisfaction (Learning & Growth)

 Measures help you understand if you’re accomplishing your objectives

strategically. They force you to question things like, “How do I know that I’m
becoming an internationally recognized brand?” Note that while your measures
might change, your objectives will remain the same. You may select 1-2
measures per objective, so you are aiming to come up with 15-25 measures at
the enterprise level.

Examples include:

1. Cost Of Goods Sold

2. Customer Satisfaction & Retention
3. Percentage Of Product Defects
4. Percentage Of Response To Open Positions
 Initiatives are key action programs developed to achieve your
objectives. You’ll see initiatives referred to as “projects,” “actions,” or
 “activities outside of the Balanced Scorecard.” Most organizations will have 0-2
initiatives underway for every objective (with a total of 5-15 strategic
initiatives).

Examples include:

1. Develop Quality Management Program

2. Install ERP System
3. Revamp Supply Chain Process
4. Develop Competencies Mode