| After you have improved a business process, can | | | | Identify what you want to evaluate on a recurring |
| you simply relax and move on to the next process? | | | | basis - did your customer needs change, are the |
| Not if you want to retain the strategic gains you | | | | internal controls still working, or are you measuring |
| achieved. | | | | the most important items? Try the changes out on a |
| Continuous improvement (CI) can seem like a | | | | limited basis (test), determine if they worked |
| theoretical concept unless you have experience | | | | (assess), and deploy them across the organization if |
| working with business processes. But, this is far from | | | | successful (execute). |
| the truth. You should make sure that you do not | | | | It helps to identify the following before you leave a |
| move too hastily to improving the next process until | | | | process you just improved: |
| you have created a CI plan for the process you just | | | | - the key topics you will evaluate |
| finished. Otherwise, you will find that the process | | | | - how often you will revisit each topic |
| works fine for a while. Then you will see it starting to | | | | - the time frame when you will revisit topics |
| slip backwards a little, then a little more, until it | | | | For example, you may choose to validate the |
| becomes outdated and you are back where you | | | | customer needs every 12 months and plan to |
| started. | | | | conduct that analysis in the second quarter of each |
| This step is similar to losing weight. If you lost 20 | | | | year. Putting a plan and schedule in place will help to |
| pounds and never weighed yourself again, you will | | | | keep an improved business process at the forefront |
| probably find the pounds slowly creeping back. The | | | | of your mind and make certain that you routinely |
| "maintenance phase" of a business process is just as | | | | look for improvement opportunities. |
| important as that of a weight loss program. | | | | Developing a continuous improvement plan and |
| There is plenty written about continuous | | | | schedule is the tenth step to improving the |
| improvement and you should think about the four | | | | effectiveness, efficiency, and adaptability of your |
| steps in the improvement cycle: (1) evaluate, (2) | | | | business. |
| test, (3) assess, and (4) execute. | | | | |