How do you walk the talk of continuous
improvement? How do you generate a stream of improvements that
increase quality, save time or reduce cost? Such improvements
don't come about by chance.
Good management sets the stage by creating
an organized way to capture good ideas and make the right improvements
in the right way, the first time. Here are some elements common
to the continuous improvement systems of most National Housing
Quality award winning builders:
1. Capture Ideas On Paper.
Every improvement starts with an idea that
must be captured before it can be put into action. Howard Saslow,
Encore Homes, Sykesville, Maryland, created a pocket-sized card
[*] for capturing problems and/or ideas. The cards can be carried
by the superintendent at the jobsite, and can be filled out on
the basis of the superintendent's own observations or discussions
with tradesmen. The cards can also be used as a convenient way
to capture problems or ideas that surface in production meetings.
2. Select Target Improvements
All improvements can't be made right away
so you will need a procedure to select which improvements will
be worked on first. One method is to have a monthly team meeting
to look at submitted ideas, discuss new opportunities, review
the status on ongoing improvement efforts and select the monthly
targets for improvement. The rest of the ideas will stay in backlog
until they rise to the top of the list.
3. Define the Problem
Assign each projected improvement to a
team that includes the person who submitted the idea, and select
a team leader. The team can begin by preparing a written statement
of the problem, using an Opportunity for Improvement (OFI) form.
4. Determine Causes and Plan Preventive
Actions
With the problem clearly stated in writing,
the team digs down below the surface to identify causes and brainstorms
possible preventions. After listing all ideas, the team agrees
on a sequence of preventive steps. The plan is entered on the
OFI form and management approval is secured.
5. Make Improvements and Measure Success
Make changes as planned. After each change
has been in place for a period of time, the team reviews and
evaluates the results, and records them on the OFI form. If the
results are not fully satisfactory, the team proceeds to conduct
another iteration of the improvement process.
My suggestion for your first improvement
is to improve your own continuous improvement system. It's a
tried and true way to walk the talk.