Strengthening an Organisation’s Continuous Improvement Program by developing ‘Real Capability’

Strengthening an Organisation’s Continuous Improvement Program by developing ‘Real Capability’

I came across an interesting article recently in ASQ’s Quality Progress penned by David Hansen in which he makes the point that developing the competency and capability of the problem solvers is just as important as solving the actual problem itself.

He defines Organisation Competency as the Organisation’s ability to identify, act and deliver on Improvement opportunities which is dependent on people’s capability amongst other factors. To ensure these 2 Elements are complimentary and building the Organisation’s Competency (in addition to the actual improvement in the Metric involved) another key deliverable from each and every Improvement Project is what did we learn here? The answer to this question will not only will serve to improve the Team’s capability but also provide an opportunity to apply the critical ‘Lessons Learnt’ to other processes in the Organisation. To this end, the Control Phase of the DMAIC Methodology specifically addresses this and also recommends that a form of Library be created where all the Project Reports can be accessed to aid future similar Projects.

Topically this same theme is the focus of our SQT Prospectus – ‘Develop real capability’ and the all-important asset in any Organisation and that is its People!

Submitted by Éamon Ó Béarra