5 Steps to Continuous Improvement

Continuous improvement is the most basic key to success in corporate life. Implementing new strategies, making improvements in existing processes, creating more efficient processes are the basic steps of the philosophy of continuous improvement. Kaizen is a never-ending journey for companies that requires constant inquiry and development. In this blog post, we'll explore the definition, importance, techniques, and how to apply Continuous Improvement.

What is Continuous Process Improvement?

We can define continuous improvement as the process of increasing quality, productivity, company performance and employee performance with small and incremental changes made over time. Its purpose is to eliminate all kinds of waste and inefficiency in a company and to improve processes.

The Importance of Continuous Improvement

In a constantly changing world, the expectations and needs of customers are also changing. It is very important for businesses to adopt a culture of continuous improvement so that they can follow changes, keep up and stay competitive.

You ask why? Because continuous improvement requires improvements in the way companies do business, in the working environment, in products and services, in the technologies used, in short in all areas of the processes, and to increase efficiency. The way of doing business and the improvements made in the working environment affect the motivation of the employees and their productivity. Improvements in products and services increase product / service quality. Thus, businesses can better meet customer needs and expectations and increase customer satisfaction. Improvements in the materials and technology used lead to more efficient and automated processes.

In short, continuous improvement ensures the continuous improvement of the workplace, keeping up with innovations and the success of the company.

Why is Continuous Improvement Important?

What are Continuous Improvement Techniques?

Kaizen

Kaizen means "continuous improvement" in Japanese. This concept, which first emerged in Toyota's production system, is a business philosophy that is generally used in business and production areas. It enables businesses to identify inefficient processes and improvement areas. For this reason, businesses that implement Kaizen focus on making small but incremental changes to products and services.

PDCA Cycle

The PDCA cycle is a business methodology that consists of Plan, Do, Check and Act. Businesses use the PDCA cycle to improve their existing processes and products. For example, let's say employees have determined that a process is inefficient. According to the PDCA cycle, the employee must do;

• Developing a plan to eliminate inefficiency,
• Implementing the plan,
• To control the results,
• Taking action for further improvement and efficiency

Lean manufacturing

Lean manufacturing is one of the most frequently used continuous improvement techniques by companies. Lean manufacturing focuses on reducing waste and increasing efficiency in every aspect of a company. The purpose of lean manufacturing is to streamline all processes throughout the company, eliminating waste and unnecessary steps.

Six Sigma

Six Sigma focuses on identifying opportunities for improvement and developing solutions using data-driven analytics. Companies use Six Sigma to reduce defects in their business processes and to identify and implement improvement areas.

Root Cause Analysis

Root cause analysis is a continuous improvement technique used to address and resolve the root causes of existing problems in a business. Businesses using root cause analysis techniques identify a problem, find the source of the problem and develop a solution. In doing so, it examines current symptoms and data.

Kanban Board

Kanban board is a technique that aims to increase efficiency by visualizing current business processes and working status. It is used to improve business processes and contribute to continuous improvement. Kanban boards work together with notes placed in columns on a large board. The columns show the flow of value. All steps from the beginning to the end of a job are on the board. Work items are written on colored cards and placed in the corresponding columns as the work progresses.

Benefits of Continuous Improvement Cycle

 Businesses have to look for ways to improve their processes and offer better products in order to maintain competitiveness and increase profitability. The continuous improvement approach helps businesses towards this goal and provides many benefits.

• Saving Time and Money

Continuous improvement helps businesses save time and money. So how does it do this? Continuous improvement eliminates waste by continuously identifying and improving inefficiencies in processes, products or services. Organises operational processes. Provides better quality products to customers. Adopting the philosophy of continuous improvement provides many benefits such as profitability, efficiency and savings.

• Happier Customers

Continuous improvement does not only provide financial benefits. It makes quality management processes more efficient and provides better quality products to customers. Because businesses have the opportunity to offer products above customer expectations through continuous improvement efforts. Quality products increase customer loyalty and satisfaction.

• Competitiveness

Continuous improvement is about improving products, services or processes. Improvement areas and improvements identified on a process support innovation. Innovation increases competitiveness by helping businesses to follow market trends and provide better quality products and services to their customers.

• Learning Culture

With the rapid development of technology, the way of doing business or customer habits are changing just as rapidly. The continuous improvement approach encourages employees to continuously learn in order for businesses to keep up with technology and meet customer expectations.

How to Implement Continuous Improvement Methodology?

• Make Your Goal Clear

In order to create a culture of continuous improvement and encourage your employees, your goals need to be clear, achievable and clear. At the same time, you need to define in detail the steps you need to take to achieve these goals. When your employees are aware of what the goal is and what they need to do to achieve this goal, their motivation will increase and they will want to participate in the continuous improvement process.

• Build Your Processes

To successfully implement continuous improvement, you need to create processes that meet your goals. Afterwards, you need to document these processes, communicate them to your stakeholders and encourage them to contribute to the process.

• Measure Performance

To understand whether your continuous improvement efforts are successful, you need to measure performance. For this reason, you should definitely make use of measurement tools to measure the effect of the changes you make and to understand whether it is the result you want.

• Analyze and Monitor Data

You should analyze the data to understand whether your processes are working well and whether you are meeting your goals. In the light of the data you have analyzed, you should identify the areas that need improvement.

• Standardize a Process for Implementation

For your continuous improvement process to be successful, you need to develop a well-defined implementation plan. Developing processes for implementation helps you make a change much more efficiently and effectively. Therefore, it is essential that you develop a process.

• Build a Culture of Continuous Improvement

The key to creating a culture of continuous improvement is your employees. Employees have more insight into how a particular process or system needs to be improved because they are much more involved with existing processes. Therefore, you should definitely encourage your employees to give ideas and reward them for their contributions. You should even create a feedback loop where they can provide feedback or make use of Continuous Improvement Solution software.

• Celebrate Achievements

Celebrate your employees' achievements to strengthen and foster a culture of continuous improvement in your workplace. Celebrating achievements motivates your employees to strive harder and engage.

• Repeat the Process

The last step of the continuous improvement cycle is to repeat the process. Continuous improvement refers to an ongoing process. It aims to improve processes over time and increase efficiency by making incremental improvements in inefficient areas. Therefore, the idea that ‘an improvement work has been done and the process is over’ is not correct. Improvements should continue continuously.

The steps of the continuous improvement cycle we describe here provide a framework that enables businesses to identify, address, resolve, and maintain inefficient areas in processes to achieve sustainable success and competitiveness. These steps can be adapted and implemented according to the business needs of businesses.

A Solution to Facilitate Your Continuous Improvement Processes: oneri.io

Oneri.io is a solution designed for businesses to manage continuous improvement, lean production, quality management, OHS and operational excellence processes in a digital way. It digitalizes all processes such as suggestion collection, kaizen application, 5S audit follow-up, near-miss reporting, and problem-solving, which are managed on paper and Excel. It consists of 9 modules in total. 

• Suggestion System
• Kaizen
• Near Miss Reporting
• 5S Audit
• Learned Lesson
• Action Management
• Customer Demand Management
• A3 Problem Solving
• Digital Audit Management

For more information about oneri.io, a Continuous Improvement Solution and Lean Manufacturing Platform, please visit our website or contact us.