Get the Right Start: Five Criteria for a Practical Process Improvement Project

What are the proper criteria necessary for a successful start to your first practical process improvement projects?  From my experience, five are necessary.

      First, I suggest that you start with a small project first.  It should not be too big or too ambitious.  It should be big enough though that its success would be clearly beneficial to the department and, hopefully, the entire company.

Second, the top management team of your company must be committed to the project.  Not just involved but committed to the project. 

Third, try to find something that “slightly hurts” the organization at this time.  A little pain is ideal and for our purposes, it should involve something that your area or department is directly responsible for.

Fourth, set up a system to track the cost of the project before you begin.  For the type of basic project you should start with, labor is probably the most costly component.  Keep in mind though it is not just the cost of the time participants meet for the project.  They will need additional time to perform project tasks. 

Fifth review team size.  I would like to suggest that for your initial projects, you keep the team small and involve the areas “touched” by the process you want to improve.  My suggestion is no more than four or possibly five to start.

It’s a good idea to get a few successful projects under your belt to build momentum.  By taking this approach you will build credibility and gradually move to bigger projects with larger benefits to your organization.