A well-functioning organization seeks to achieve operations excellence: maximizing the utility of available resources while delighting customers. It requires a clear vision of organizational goals, effective organizational structure, team work by empowered employees, keen problem-solving skills, and visionary leadership, And the cornerstone of operations excellence is the practice of Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) – the proactive, ongoing examination of all business functions to identify opportunities for improvement.
Consider the evolution of the transportation industry; horses and wagons were the state-of-the-art tools of travel, commerce, and even communication. As populations grew and spread out, technology had to evolve to support those needs. Horse and wagon eventually gave rise to trains, automobiles and airplanes - and that in barely more than a century. The running messengers gave way to the Pony Express, and so on to Internet- and satellite-based communications. Each step in that process is a result of the need for people, goods and services to go farther, faster, better or more reliably.
More than a set program or technique, CQI is a management philosophy that organizations employ to reduce waste, increase efficiency, and increase both internal (employees) and external (customers) satisfaction.
When errors and inefficiencies are discovered and examined, they are most often found to be due to poor process design, unclear instructions, or a failure in leadership. Front-line workers performing the processes are far less frequently to blame than had been assumed under older management paradigms.
Continuous process improvement (CPI), one aspect of CQI, relies on teamwork among (and between) all levels of employees and stresses that all employees are valuable members of the team. They are encouraged to analyze their work processes and make suggestions on how best to improve them for the overall good of the organization. This mindset fosters a spirit of accountability, making employees feel personally invested in the organization.
The most popular continuous process / quality improvement method is the four-step Deming Method, also commonly known as "PDCA" (Plan / Do / Check / Act):
PLAN – First, gather data about current processes, customer needs. Analyze to derive trends, exceptions, gaps , etc. (i.e., generate information). Use that information to set goals, chose success measures, and create an action plan to reach the desired goals.
DO – The agreed-upon plan of actions is implemented. Test implementation on a small scale; problems and issues that arise should be documented at this stage.
CHECK – Once implementation is completed, another round of information collection and analysis is carried out to evaluate whether the goals have been achieved. Review all documentation created during previous step.
ACT – If the desired goal was achieved, the newly created process(es) are officially implemented.
The process may be carried out interatively to yield yet better results, as PDCA is a cyclical, rather than a linear method; once an act is finished, a new cycle begins. This will ensure continuity of the process improvement throughout the organization.
If your desire is for your lab to function in a steady-state of operational excellence, contact an Ektelligen ® representative today. We will partner with you in creating an empowered, evolving workplace where the goal is excellence, always and everywhere.
