Part A: Plan and participate in a continuous improvement session

(role-play)

Product area team: Hello. How are you today? Um.. I want you to update me about the improvement session .

Me: Oh! After conducting improvement session for our proposed quality systems and processes at the Wollongong store. . One improvement methodology is the PDCA method, which is structured on a logical and cyclic sequence of: Plan, Do, Check and Act.

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Product area team: Oh! I see, after discuss with the team,we also think that this method can be process well in our store.

Me: Fantastic ! We will also improve the system at every stage so as to improve the system overall through statistical control and optimizing the efforts of teams, groups and departments by breaking down barriers and silos.

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Product area team: Well, we do agree with you. By the way,have you develop a strategies for participation?

Me: Yes I do.To ensure the successful implementation of continuous improvement methodologies, we will need to develop strategies to encourage and support participation in decision-making processes. You will also need to ensure to take steps to promote a philosophy of continuous improvement and build an organisational culture in which employees and managers assume responsibility and take the required initiative for improving processes.

Product area team: Alright,good and how about the development of the training, coaching and mentoring processes?

Me: Oh! We will need to integrate our approach to continuous improvement with performance management processes. This means that we are putting in place processes for integrating continuous improvement with performance management. In effect, this means facilitating individual and team goal-setting and performance-planning processes and then ensuring the development of workforce capacity through provision of the required training, mentoring and ongoing coaching required to keep individual and team performance aligned to continuous improvement objectives.

Product are team:What outcomes would you expect from continuous improvement processes?

Me:The outcomes from continuous improvement process are numerous and bring opportunities for the organisation to set goals more ambitious. Some of the outcomes follow as:

Reduced operational costs;

Reduced fails on services, products, etc;

Improved quality of service;

Higher index of positive feedbacks;

Reduced wastage;

Increased profit;

Reduced time for execution of tasks;

Optimization of processes;

Use of innovative technology;

Team members more engaged;

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Product area team: Alright, if you have anything to update to me so please feel free to come to see me anytime. I happy to listen in every process from anyone. OK?

Me: Ok, thank you for discussion .

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Product area team: No worry, you’re welcome.

Part B: Follow-up communications

1. Develop a document or set of related documents to evidence following up from the

session to communicate outcomes to relevant stakeholders. For example, you may

create, depending on communication processes and strategies developed in

Assessment Task 1:

a. an email to the team or relevant management group or supplier

b. a document, such as a flow chart, to be uploaded to the organisational intranet.

Email:

A continuous improvement process is a continual development, improving and optimizing processes. It is a cycle focuses in increasing effectiveness and efficiency in order to fulfil the organisation’s objectives. The improvement process is applied by using methodologies and involves all team members within the organisation. It allows a rigorous analysis of issues that affect results, being possible to find the root of the problems.

The process idea follows as bellow:

Analysis and evaluation of the existing situation to identify areas for improvement;

Setting objectives for improvement;

Research of possible solutions to reach the objectives;

Evaluation and selection of these solutions;

Implementation of the chosen solution;

Measurement, verification, analysis and evaluation of implementation results to determine if the objectives have been met;

Formalization of changes.

The outcomes from continuous improvement process are numerous and bring opportunities for the organisation to set goals more ambitious. Some of the outcomes follow as bellow:

Reduced operational costs;

Reduced fails on services, products, etc;

Improved quality of service;

Higher index of positive feedbacks;

Reduced wastage;

Increased profit;

Reduced time for execution of tasks;

Optimization of processes;

Use of innovative technology;

Team members more engaged;

Company’s reputation within the market;

Positive marketing lead to environment responsibility;

Better environment workplace;

Productivity increased.

Part C: Written reflection

To develop an improvement process is not easy and it a methodical practice which involves: knowledge, experience, lots of research and coherence.

Every company has your own goals, objectives, mission, values and expectations with your business. Therefore, is essential as continuous improvement consultant to join all this information to deliver a successful proposal.

Another relevant topic it is the fact that we are dealing with people. So it is not an exact variable that changes any time.

Coaching, mentoring or training others is fundamental to deliver an effective service, product, however, to evaluate and monitor their performance is the key to analyse if the training it’s been efficient.

To take responsibility for achieving organisational goals is very challenging, but this responsibility has to be shared to engage staff members, managers.

To conduct the review of current practices and develop ideas for improvement was a long process that involved everyone in the company. We gathered information from brainstorming groups, suggestion box, meetings.

Audition is a good way to find out if employees are understanding company’s policies and procedures, workplace documentation.

By involving employees in presentations, creating weekly meetings, mentoring and coaching programs, etc.

To collect insights, experiences and ideas for improvements to help on the organisation’s management it could be created the “suggestion box” and also brainstorming groups. The team members should be encouraged to participate of decision-making, ownership, to make them to feel responsible for the company’s success.