The Continuous Improvement Solution

The Continuous Improvement Solution

Purpose: This book explains a practical plan to implement a continuous improvement program.  If you're a continuous improvement practitioner at any level, this book is going to help you organize your thoughts, your work and your strategy.  

Executive Summary

    Who - You...because you're interested in continuous improvement and how it can solve your problems and improve your margins.

    What - A three phase approach...

1)    Phase 1 - Quick Wins

    Quick wins and low hanging fruit
    Saving money is the key objective of this phase

2)    Phase 2 - Organization and Culture

    Enabling and sustaining the continuous improvement culture
    Empowering the organization
    "Efficient" is the key word for this phase

3)    Phase 3 - Strategic Segmentation

    Optimizing continuous improvement through strategic segmentation of your customers and products
    Tying the continuous improvement work to the organization's strategy
    "Effective" is the key word for this phase

    Where - Right here...this book gives you the foundation of knowledge you need to take your continuous improvement program to the next level.

    When - Right now...in a simple and concise manner, you'll immediately learn how to advance your continuous improvement program - and know who to partner with for even more success.

    Why - You already know why...improve margins by understanding where your costs are and where to focus your growth efforts - increase sales, lower costs, improve quality, decrease time to market and get everyone in your organization working on the most valuable opportunities.

Are you trying to learn more about continuous improvement (CI)?  Maybe you play an active role in the strategic development of CI at your company and you're looking for a plan to take your current work to the next level.  Perhaps you're new to CI or interested in getting involved and you'd like to learn the basics so you can "Talk the Talk".  This book can help you learn more about continuous improvement no matter what role you play and no matter your level of understanding.  In fact, this book is really about running a better business and being more effective...so you don't need to be involved in continuous improvement in any capacity to benefit from this book.

Background: I've been working in and thinking about continuous improvement my entire career.  I started in manufacturing and cut my teeth implementing Lean and Six Sigma projects on the plant floor.  I completed my MBA and did a stint in Finance coaching Black Belts on proper cost-saving methods.  I led the program management of a continuous improvement supply chain portfolio for over a dozen manufacturing plants with annual savings over $30 million.  I added skills in customer and product segmentation that led to applying continuous improvement to business operations (Finance, Sales, Marketing, IT, etc.).  I've seen hundreds of continuous improvement projects achieve millions of dollars in enhanced margins.

As a result of all this continuous improvement work, I've developed an appreciation for the simplicity of continuous improvement.  It was the define - measure - analyze - improve - control method of Six Sigma that initially caught my attention as a problem-solving method I could hang on my cube wall.  As I continued to learn, it occurred to me that continuous improvement is really about segmenting your opportunities and then giving the best opportunities your most attention - learning how to fish and then fi

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