Sustained improvement

Sustained improvement

Never-ending or continuous improvement is probably the most powerful concept to guide management. Certainly, it is a term not well understood in many organizations, although that must begin to change if those organizations are to survive. Moreover, to maintain a wave of sustained interest, it is necessary to develop generations of managers who not only understand. However, if they dedicate the pursuit of never-ending improvement in meeting external and internal customer needs.

The concept requires a systematic approach to quality management that has the following components

  • Firstly, planning the processes and their inputs.
  • Secondly, providing the inputs.
  • Thirdly, operating the processes.
  • Subsequently, evaluate the outputs.
  • Further, examining the performance of the processes.
  • Lastly, modifying the processes and their inputs.

Above all, this system must be firmly tied to a continuous assessment of customer needs and depends on a flow of ideas on how to make improvements, reduce variation, and generate greater customer satisfaction. Moreover, it also requires a high level of commitment and a sense of personal responsibility in those operating the processes.

There are three basic principles of sustained improvement:

  • Firstly, focusing on the customer.
  • Secondly, understanding the process.
  • Subsequently, all employees committed to quality.

Focusing on the customer

An organization must recognize, throughout its ranks that the purpose of all work and all efforts to make improvements is to serve the customers better. This means that it must always know how well its outputs are performing, in the eyes of the customer, through measurement and feedback.

Understanding the process

In the successful operation of any process it is essential to understand what determines its performance and outputs. This means intense focus on the design and control of the inputs, working closely with suppliers, and understanding process flows to eliminate bottlenecks and reduce waste.

All employees committed to quality

Everyone in the organization, from top to bottom, from offices to technical service, from headquarters to local sites, must play their part. People are the source of ideas and innovation, and their expertise harnesses to implement the ideas.

Never-ending improvement is the process through which customer satisfaction is achieved. Its adoption recognizes that quality is a moving target, but its operation actually results in quality.

A model for total quality management

The concept of total quality management is basically very simple. Each part of an organization has customers, whether within or without, and the need to identify what the customer requirements are, and then set about meeting them, forms the core of a total quality approach. Good performance requires the three hard management necessities: planning, including the right policies and strategies, processes and supporting management systems and improvement tools.

Sustained improvement

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