One of the challenges with continuous improvement is prioritisation.
I sit with teams that want to do everything today. There might be twenty opportunities on their list and every single one of them becomes a goal for the business.
When it comes to scheduling these, each one is considered in isolation. The end dates for the goals are often within the next three months. Reality shows that this is often impractical.
When it comes time to review the progress against these goals, morale can drop. The team realise that they are behind schedule. It doesn't feel great and catching up can be difficult when you already have a full work load.
If this rings a bell with you, try this simple strategy. Just pick one. Yes, it can be that simple. One primary improvement goal at a time.
What about crises I hear you ask. Well, they'll be jumped on when they arrive. You don't need to plan for crises. Hopefully your improvement activities will dampen both the frequency and severity of the crises.
What if you don't know what is your number one improvement to work on? Three options jump to mind.
- Go with your gut feel.
- Create a prioritisation system that works for you.
- Borrow the BCS (Benefit, Cost and Speed) approach from PDCA Complete:
 |
| The Bucket module from PDCA Complete - including the BCS scoring system |
So, get a #1 priority for your business improvements. Keep that focused in your sights until you complete it. As you reap the rewards from the improvement, you might find that you can handle more than one project.
Until then, narrow your focus and increase your results.
Giles