All businesses can benefit from adopting continuous process improvement methodologies, but determining the right approach often stumps managers. Since the Japanese economic miracle of the 1950s to the 1980s, various systems, collectively known as continual improvement processes (CIP), have been developed to help organisations achieve specific goals.
With different methodologies offering diverse outcomes, it can be challenging for senior managers and business owners to identify the most suitable option. Additionally, implementation often demands significant time and resources, requiring a strong commitment from the organisation to achieve meaningful results.
Whether you’re a new organisation looking to do things right from day one, or an existing company interested in refining your processes, let OE Partners guide you toward the right CIP methodology.
What Is the Best Continuous Process Improvement Methodology?
No one to answer the question
Consultants are frequently asked what the ‘best’ continuous process improvement methodologies are. In truth, the best CIP methodology is the one that best helps you achieve your objectives. Each methodology is diverse in its goals and processes. Therefore, determining their suitability for your business becomes more about identifying the one that aligns best with your organisational objectives, culture, and requirements.
Consider the agile methodology as an example. One of the most popular and widely known continuous process improvement methodologies, agile, emerged from a specific context that makes it ideal for certain applications and unsuitable for others. Growing out of software development meant processes were relatively small, requirements were often flexible and changes to the product to be delivered were relatively inexpensive and quick to implement.
Where agile can potentially fall down is when these three factors are not in place. This can occur in large organisations or in companies operating in industries where production cannot be stopped once it has begun. While much work has been done to make agile more accessible to large organisations, many of these companies may be better suited to an alternative CIP methodology.
There are endless modifications and permutations, but alongside agile, the three most prominent methodologies are:
- Six Sigma – developed at Motorola and most famously used at General Electric under Jack Welch. Aims to minimise variability and defects in manufacturing and businesses processes.
- Lean management – grew out of the Toyota Production System which aided Toyota in becoming the world’s largest auto manufacturer. Identifies and removes ‘waste’ (everything from overproduction to excessive employee travel times) in large processes.
- Total quality management – Developed in response to and from study of the Japanese economic miracle by American and European firms. Primarily strives for continuous improvement of product quality as defined by customer requirements.
Defining your Continuous Process Improvement (CIP) Methodology Needs
The very first step for any organisation considering adopting a CIP should be to determine its needs and its objectives. How many people does your organisation employ? What does your organisation produce? What kind of margins does your organisation and your industry operate on? Regarding your goals, do you strictly want to minimise defects in mass production? Or do you want to more broadly address organisational waste? As a result, the answers to these questions will guide your discovery process, helping you determine which CIP methodology best suits you.
Understanding your options
Are you ready to better understand the range of CIP methodologies in use? And are you looking to get assistance implementing the most suitable one for your organisation? Whatever it is that you need help with, our knowledgeable staff are ready to help you.
