a continuous improvement journey
TRANSCRIPT
A CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
JOURNEY
MY STORY: THE CONTEXT
Robert Cugno
Managing Director
PerformGrowProsper
▸ Not Big Bang approach
▸ Not Six Sigma processes
▸ Influenced by Lean philosophy
▸ A hint of Deming
▸ But based on the principles espoused by
Stephen R Covey.
MY PERSPECTIVE
Be Proactive
End(s) in Mind
1st
Things First
Think Win/Win
Why?Engagement of
and ownership by
teams
Why?Makes it
achievable
Why?Generates
momentum
and culture
Why?
Sustains
improvement
and inspires
ongoing change
1.BE PROACTIVE
AS A LEADER I NEEDED TO GO OUT AND FIND
THE PROBLEMS BY SPEAKING TO MY TEAM, MY
STAKEHOLDERS AND MY CUSTOMERS.
I needed to:
▸ Discover my hotspots and bugbears
▸ Ask questions of my people
▸ Listen to their answers
▸ Do Gemba Walks or “look & see” walks
▸ Show my team that this was an important team activity.
THE BENEFITS OF PROACTIVITY WERE:
▸ Allowed me to identify my true problems / hotspots
▸ It made the CI process people-centric (not process-
centric)
▸ It showed my people my intent and commitment to
continuous improvement
▸ Shifted our culture towards CI rather than than “fix and
forget”.
2.BEGIN WITH THE
END(S) IN MIND
The “end” does not
need to be the “end” but
rather the “first end”…
Why?
▹ Emphasised continuous
improvement
▹ Allowed for trial and error
▹ Made it achievable
▹ Sharpened focus
▹ Kept us on track
▹ Reduced “noise”
▹ Created celebration points
▹ Created the continuous
improvement loop.
3.PUT 1st THINGS
FIRST
THIS WAS ABOUT FOCUSING ON MY PEOPLE
TO ENSURE THAT THEY ENGAGED WITH THE
CI “CHALLENGE”.
How?
▸ Made it about them and their issues
▸ Asked what their problems were and possible solutions
▸ By openly discussing, filtered and ranking our business
problems
▸ Small steps / quick wins; “positively impactful”.
THIS APPROACH CREATED:
High levels of
engagement
Innovative
solutions that had
a real impact
Solutions
owned by the
team
Team driven
ongoing CI
Ownership of
the team and the
issues
4.THINK WIN/WIN
Positively impactful continuous improvement
Is most effective when the improvements implemented
are driven by your people and they have a positive
impact or consequence on what they do – it makes their
work easier.
The flow on effects of an engaged CI focused team will
quickly provide wins for your stakeholders and your
customers.
