Continuous improvement quality management principle

Continuous improvement

Continuous improvement in the overall performance of the Organization should be a permanent objective of the Organization.

This implies:

The continuous improvement of the quality management system is to increase the probability of increasing the satisfaction of Clients and other interested parties.

The following are actions aimed at improvement:

analysis and evaluation of the existing situation to identify areas for improvement; establishment of objectives for improvement; search for possible solutions to achieve the objectives; evaluation of said solutions and their selection; implementation of the selected solution; measurement, verification, analysis and evaluation of the results of the implementation to determine that the objectives have been achieved; the formalization of the changes.

The results are reviewed, when necessary, to determine additional opportunities for improvement. In this way, improvement is a continuous activity. Information from customers and other interested parties, audits, and the review of the quality management system can also be used to identify opportunities for improvement.

To ensure the future of the Organization and the satisfaction of interested parties, the Organization's management should create a culture that actively involves people in the search for opportunities to improve the performance of processes, activities and services..

To engage people, management should create an environment in which authority is delegated so that people are empowered and they accept responsibility for identifying opportunities where the Organization can improve its performance. This can be achieved through activities such as the following

establishing objectives for people, projects and for the Organization, comparing performance with other Organizations and with respect to best practices, recognizing and rewarding the achievement of improvements, and through suggestion schemes that include specific reactions from management.

To provide a structure for improvement activities, management should define and implement a process for continuous improvement that can be applied to service delivery and support of processes and activities.

To ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of the improvement process, the service delivery and support processes should be considered in terms of effectiveness (for example, results that meet requirements) efficiency (for example, resources per unit of time or money) external effects (for example, legal and regulatory changes) potential weaknesses (for example, lack of capacity and consistency) the opportunity to employ better methods control of planned and unplanned changes, and measurement of planned benefits.

This process for continuous improvement should be used as a tool to improve internal effectiveness and efficiency, as well as to improve the satisfaction of Clients and other interested parties.

Management should undertake stepwise continuous improvement activities integrated into existing processes, as well as initiative opportunities, in order to achieve maximum benefit for the Organization and for stakeholders.

Key benefits:

Increase competitive advantage through the improvement of organizational capabilities.

Alignment of improvement activities at all levels with the established organizational strategy.

Flexibility to react quickly to opportunities.

The application of the improvement principle is implemented by means of:

Apply a consistent, Organization-wide approach to continuous performance improvement.

Provide the Organization's staff with training in the methods and tools of continuous improvement.

Make continuous improvement of services, processes and systems an objective for each person within the Organization.

Establish objectives to guide continuous improvement, and measures to monitor it.

Recognize and admit improvements.

Process for continuous improvement

A strategic objective for the organization should be the achievement of continuous improvement of processes to improve the organization's performance and benefit stakeholders.

There are two fundamental approaches to carrying out continuous process improvement:

Strategic advance projects which lead to the review and improvement of existing processes, or the implementation of new processes; They are typically carried out by teams made up of representatives from various sections beyond routine operations. Continuous staggered improvements made by people in existing processes.

Advancement projects usually involve redesign of existing processes and should include definition of objectives and profile of the improvement project analysis of the existing process and realization of opportunities for change definition and planning of process improvement implementation of improvement verification and validation of the process improvement.

Advancement projects should be managed effectively and efficiently using project management methods. After completion of the change, a new process plan should be the basis for continuing to manage the process.

The people of the organization are the best source of ideas for the continuous and phased improvement of the processes and often participate as working groups. It is convenient to control the activities of stepped continuous improvement in order to assimilate their effect. The people in the organization involved should be endowed with the authority, technical support and resources necessary for the changes associated with the improvement.

Continual improvement by any of the identified methods should involve the following:

Reason for improvement: A problem in the process should be identified and an area for improvement selected as well as the reason for working on it Current situation: The effectiveness and efficiency of existing processes should be evaluated. Data should be collected and analyzed to discover what types of problems occur most frequently. A problem should be selected and a target for improvement established. Analysis: The root causes of the problem should be identified and verified. Identification of possible solutions: Alternative solutions should be explored. The best solution should be selected and implemented: for example, one that eliminates the root causes of the problem and prevents it from happening again.Effect evaluation: It should be confirmed that the problem and its root causes have been eliminated or its effects diminished,that the solution has worked, and that the improvement goal has been achieved Implementation and standardization of the new solution: The old processes should be replaced with the new process to prevent the problem or its root causes from happening again. Effectiveness and efficiency of the process upon completion of the improvement action: The effectiveness and efficiency of the improvement project should be evaluated and the possibility of using this solution elsewhere in the organization should be considered.The effectiveness and efficiency of the improvement project should be evaluated and the possibility of using this solution elsewhere in the organization should be considered.The effectiveness and efficiency of the improvement project should be evaluated and the possibility of using this solution elsewhere in the organization should be considered.

The improvement processes should be repeated on the remaining problems, developing objectives and solutions for later process improvements.

In order to facilitate the involvement and awareness of people participating in improvement activities, management should consider activities such as:

form small groups and elect leaders from among group members, allow people to control and improve their workplace, develop people's knowledge, experience and skills as part of overall quality management activities of the organization.

8.5 Improvement

8.5.1 Continual improvement.

The organization shall continually improve the effectiveness of the quality management system through the use of the quality policy, quality objectives, audit results, data analysis, corrective and preventive actions, and review by the direction.

What improvements can you make?

Continuous improvement should be interpreted as a recurring activity (step by step). What this means is that when opportunities for improvement are identified and when such improvements are justified, it is necessary to decide how they are to be implemented, based on available resources. When concurrent opportunities are identified, a priority could be set for their implementation.

While corrective action (8.5.2) identifies measures necessary to correct identified problems (and prevent their recurrence) and preventive action (8.5.3) identifies measures aimed at preventing possible problems, continuous improvement (8.5.1) is the process consisting of taking actions on a recurring basis to implement agreed solutions that should produce positive effects.

The improvement process includes several steps:

The identification of possible opportunities to improve the quality management system The analysis and justification (cost / benefit) of implementing an improvement action The determination of the availability of the necessary resources The decision to implement the improvement The implementation of the improvement Measuring the impact of the improvement Taking the results into consideration in the next management review.

This section lists various activities and inputs that can be used both to plan the improvement and to carry it out effectively.

Examples of areas where the quality management system can be improved include:

Internal communications Follow-up activities Documented procedures The effectiveness of management review meetings Systems for obtaining information from clients Training programs (for example, for management or for internal auditors).

The methodology known as "Plan-Do-Check-Act" (PDCA) can be applied to all processes, which can be briefly described as:

Plan: establish the objectives and processes necessary to achieve results in accordance with the client's requirements and the organization's policies.

Do: implement the processes.

Verify: Track and measure processes and products against policies, objectives and requirements for the product and report on the results.

Act: take actions to continually improve process performance.