What's the minimum amount of improvement work that will 'move the needle'?

When we are looking at improvement opportunities, it is easy to get knocked off course by our long list of existing obligations. And, by obligations, I mean a long list of things that we have to do that we simply haven't had the time to get started with.

So, how do you make any progress when you have this situation?

One option, and one that I am keen to use when working with my consulting clients, is to be selfish. Figure out which improve opportunity could save you time. If you can save some time then you can start a virtuous cycle to improve not only your working life but the overall results of the business.

Let's say that you have identified this opportunity. How do you even start it?

This is where the Kaizen approach comes in. Work out what the least amount of effort / time / work you can put into this continuous improvement opportunity. The small size will make it palatable and there is a good chance that you will do a little more than the absolute minimum if you have time. That's the magic of the Kaizen approach.

With this minimum amount approach, there is a good chance that you won't see much in the way of results immediately. But, give this approach a few weeks or months and you might be surprised by the results that start to appear.

So, I challenge you to think about the minimum amount of work that you can undertake and still say that you are working on your improvement opportunity and then get on with doing it every day. See how long it takes for the improvement to start materialising and then become a living continuous improvement experiment.

Enjoy,

Giles

About the author:

Giles Johnston is a Chartered Engineer who specialises in helping businesses to grow and improve through better business processes and embracing Kaizen.

Giles is also the author of Effective Root Cause Analysis and 'What Does Good Look Like?'.

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