PLAN

To begin the continuous improvement process you will need to first plan your course of action. Use these documents to plan your work. You will want to state what you are doing, make predictions about what will happen and why, and answer the who, what, where, and when. A good plan will help you and others do your work!

a3 / Project Charter

• Use to describe an entire project or problem and help staff understand roles, prioritize work, and align tasks

• Document is broken down into: background, current conditions, goal & benefit, opportunity & cost analysis, milestones, resources/skills needed, and risks, constraints & dependencies

Critical to Quality (CTQ) Tree + Kano Analysis

• Use to identify, capture, and prioritize the needs, wants, and requirements a customer considers when judging your product/service for its quality.

MICRO PLAN DO STUDY ACT

• Use to record a test of change, with sections to document each of the four phases of continuous improvement.

5S Process

• Use to standardize the work environment, processes & materials to reduce waste, increase productivity, and provide a foundation for continuous improvement work.

Data Collection Plan

• Use to document the types of data that need to be collected as well as the method, source, frequency and who is responsible for collecting the data.

Fishbone Diagram

• Use to identify and categorize all factors potentially contributing to an identified problem

Prioritzation Matrix

• Use to identify the projects, factors, or ideas that should be addressed first in order to maximize improvement and results, while minimizing resources

Process Map

• Visually illustrates the flow and all the steps in a  process

• Use to help identify bottlenecks, repetition, and delays in a process to help improve efficiency

Project Milestone Chart

• A planning tool used to show the steps in a process, their deadlines, and progress in the process

RACI

• Use to manage tasks in a process by identifying individuals’ roles for each task (who is responsible, accountable, consulted, or informed)

Results Based FacilitaTion Agenda

• Results Based Facilitation is an approach for getting people to more effectively work together toward a common result in groups

• Use this agenda template to hold more productive and engaging meetings

Root Cause

• Use to identify the source of a problem by asking 5 “why?” questions

• Often used after a Fishbone Diagram or Failure Modes Effects Analysis (FMEA). 

• Often followed up with a mPDSA cycle to test ways to remove or address the root cause

SWOT Analysis

• Use to evaluate a project, a process, or an entire organization, in light of external opportunities and risks

Supplier Inputs Process Outcomes Customer (SIPOC)

• Visually illustrates a high-level view of a process

• Use to identify all internal and external factors of a process, and align the team with the inputs and outputs that impact the process

Waste Walk

• Use to identify all the waste (e.g. activities that don’t add any value) associated with a process, and to brainstorm how each waste could be mitigated or eliminated to improve the efficiency of a process