In my previous blogs, I discussed some challenges in deploying continuous improvement (CI) methodologies in organizations and made recommendations, such as
- Understand the reason to bring in the methodology and assess organization’s readiness (Starting Lean Six Sigma)
- Select the right projects and leaders and provide training and coaching (The First Six Sigma Project)
- Pay attention to organization’s management process and leadership behaviors (Revisiting the DMAIC Stage-gate Process)
- Ensure that process management is built as a foundation for improvement (Continuous Improvement Is More Than Projects)
- Avoid over-reliance on weeks-long classroom training to achieve results (Lean Six Sigma Training for Continuous Improvement)
In the last recommendation, I didn’t include an alternative approach because it required more elaboration.
The traditional Lean Six Sigma (LSS) deployment uses classroom training to teach concepts and tools to employees, who become Green Belts (GB) or Black Belt (BB) candidates. The inexperienced GBs and/or BBs leading improvement projects often struggle to recall what they learned in the class and relate it to the real-world problems.
What I think works better is project-based learning, in which the employees learn by participating in a job-related project led by an experienced CI professional. The on-the-job hands-on learning is supplemented by expert coaching and self-paced learning.
Assuming the organization is new to CI, I propose that it starts with a pilot project led by a CI veteran, who can guide the organization in a learning journey. The journey will not only teach the team CI methodologies but also help the organization leaders discover many existing gaps, risks, issues, and opportunities, which leads to a better long-term strategy. This CI leader has multiple roles — the coach to the organization leaders, the leader of the project, and the trainer of CI methodologies to the employees.
The proposed approach achieves multiple goals.
- Enable the organization to achieve optimal outcomes
- Build internal capabilities, including processes and skills
- Help develop a CI strategy and culture for the long term
The approach can include the following.
- The senior CI sponsor (a top executive) recruits or retains a truly experienced CI leader (either an employee or consultant), with an explicit role of leading the pilot project, assessing organization, and helping develop its deployment strategy
- The CI leader works with the sponsor to charter a suitable project, including clear expectations of their respective roles
- The CI leader works with the sponsor and other managers to select project team members
- The sponsor clearly communicates the role, responsibilities, and decision power of the CI leader to the entire organization
- The sponsor personally demonstrates his/her commitment and holds the organization accountable
- The CI leader leads the project and project team, giving just-in-time training as appropriate (Lean, Six Sigma, project management, change management, statistical methods, etc.)
- The CI leader engages the team in using the CI concepts and tools in the project and demonstrates their value and limitations
- Project members are given ample materials and opportunities to expand the learning on their own and have open access to coaching by the CI leader
- The CI leader assesses the organization (e.g. organizational readiness, maturity, culture) and team members (e.g. skills, behavior, performance) throughout the entire project lifecycle
- The CI leader provides analyses (e.g. SWOT) and recommendations to the sponsor, such as deployment strategy, high value projects, and high potential employees (i.e. future leaders)
This approach will avoid many common pitfalls in LSS training and deployment and take advantage of many opportunities provided by modern technology, such as online and on-demand learning.
The two limiting factors I see are a capable CI leader and a committed sponsor.
What other alternatives would you recommend?