Focus on Growth & Improvement

 Move toward the positive and constructive. Care and caution should be taken to focus on positive improvements, not problem reductions.  Problems reduce as improvement take place.  Note: This is general caution, not specific to every case.  I’m quite sure you can think of specific situations that are not congruent with this guidance, as can I, but those exceptions-to-the-rule are not the focus of this guidance.

Goals:

Improve Health & Well-Being
Improve Quality
Improve Morale

Improve Employee Skills

Objectives:

To improve health and wellbeing, walk x number of steps per day, meditate for x number of minutes per day, eat healthy food x times per day.

To improve quality output, improve specific process inputs. 

To improve morale, improve civility in the workplace by increasing the use of “please & thank you”, for example.

To improve employee skills, implement a training program that will provide structured quarterly training and constructive on-the-spot corrective supervision. 

 

Negative outcomes diminish in response to positive growth and development. For example, as morale improves employee tardiness and unwanted turnover will decrease.

If you act directly on the problem, the results may be counter-productive. Think “mole game.” You knock the mole down here and it pops up over there. Excessive focus on problems may inadvertently increase the problems.

Example: punishing tardiness is likely to increase employee resentments. Punishment / reprimand may not produce the results desired, while improving morale will have broad improvement effects. Constructive feedback is better than harsh or punitive feedback. Constructive feedback is a positive contribution. Harsh or punitive feedback is destructive of positive outcomes.

Negative Example: to reduce electricity use, lightbulbs can be removed.  Electricity use is reduced but the workspace is cast into darkness, as is the ability to produce safely. The specific objective is met, but the cost is broader and greater.

 

K. H. Little Consulting Services

Kenneth H. Little, MA

KHLittle603@gmail.com

kenlittle-nh.com

 

 

What Strategies Facilitate Personal Continuous Improvement

 

Q: What strategies have you found most effective in facilitating continuous improvement for both individuals and organizations?

A: That’s a big question. Continuous improvement is not an easy process. There is a whole learning curve involved that includes self-knowledge. And, there is a practice-to-mastery component. 

In the tiniest nutshell, start very small, practice everyday, note when you feel resistance, take note of that and self-reflect for weeks to discover the origin, celebrate tiny wins, keep it going for at least 100 days to create a neurological pathway and habit. 

Is there something specific you want to work on? 

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐬: 𝟖𝟎/𝟐𝟎 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞?

 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐬: 𝟖𝟎/𝟐𝟎 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞?

The Pareto Principle (or the 80/20 Rule) teaches us that 80% of outcomes are driven by 20% of causes. Whether you’re tackling quality issues, customer complaints, or resource optimization, Pareto Analysis is a powerful tool to focus on what truly matters.

 Here’s everything you need to know to apply Pareto Analysis effectively:

 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙤 𝙋𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙥𝙡𝙚?

The Pareto Principle, introduced by economist Vilfredo Pareto, reveals that a small percentage of causes are responsible for a majority of results.

In business and quality management, it means identifying and addressing the “vital few” problems that have the most significant impact.

 10 𝙎𝙩𝙚𝙥𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢 𝙖 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙤 𝘼𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙮𝙨𝙞𝙨

 1. Define the problem: Identify the issue you want to analyze (e.g., defects, delays, complaints).

 2. Collect data: Gather relevant data over a specific period.

 3. Categorize causes: Group similar causes or factors into categories.

 4. Measure frequency/impact: Determine the frequency or severity of each category.

 5. Rank causes: Sort categories from most to least impactful.

 6. Calculate cumulative percentages: Show how each category contributes to the total impact.

 7. Create a Pareto chart: Visualize the data with a bar graph and cumulative line graph.

 8. Identify the “vital few”: Focus on the top 20% of causes contributing to 80% of the problem.

 9. Develop solutions: Prioritize actions to address the critical causes.

 10. Monitor and review: Track progress and adjust strategies as needed.

 

 5 𝙆𝙚𝙮 𝙏𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 

 - Focus on Impact: Identify high-priority issues for maximum results.

 - Data-Driven Decisions: Base your actions on real data, not assumptions.

 - Continuous Improvement: Use Pareto Analysis as a dynamic tool for ongoing refinement.

 - Resource Optimization: Allocate time, money, and effort where they matter most.

 - Universal Applicability: Works across industries, from quality control to customer service.

𝘼𝙥𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙄𝙣𝙙𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙮

 - Quality Management

 - Customer Service

 - Project Management

 - Supply Chain

 - Sales & Marketing

  𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙄𝙩 𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨

 In today’s fast-paced industries, we must prioritize wisely to drive meaningful change. Pareto Analysis is your compass, helping you navigate complexity and focus on what truly matters.

What’s your experience with Pareto Analysis? Have you used it in your projects or workflows? Share your thoughts below! 

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#qa #qc #qms #ContinuousImprovement #quality #iso9001 #career #technology #sustainability #QualityManagement #TQM #Leadership #QualityCulture #TPM #OperationalExcellence #QCTools #ProblemSolving

#Kaizen #OEE #Manufacturing #Lean #Paretoanalysis

Successive Approximations: A Step-by-Step Approach to Refining Solutions

Successive Approximations: A Step-by-Step Approach to Solutions

Successive Approximations: A Step-by-Step Approach to Solutions

Kaizen or Successive approximations, also known as iterative methods, are a powerful technique used to find solutions to equations or problems that might be difficult or impossible to solve directly. 

The core idea is to start with an initial guess and then refine that guess through a series of steps, gradually getting closer and closer to the actual solution and desired outcome.

How it Works

 • Initial Guess: Begin with an educated guess for the solution. This initial guess can be based on intuition, prior knowledge, or even a random starting point.

• Iteration: Apply a specific algorithm or formula to the initial guess to obtain a new, hopefully improved, approximation.

• Repeat: Use the new approximation as the input for the next iteration. This process is repeated iteratively, with each step producing a closer approximation to the true solution.

• Convergence: Ideally, the sequence of approximations will converge, meaning that the difference between successive approximations becomes smaller and smaller as the iterations proceed. When the difference becomes sufficiently small, the process can be stopped, and the final approximation is accepted as the solution.

Applications of Successive Approximations

Successive approximations find applications in various fields, including:

 • Mathematics

• Engineering

• Computer Science

• Psychology

• Organizational Behavior

• Manufacturing

• Service Industries

Advantages of Successive Approximations

 • Handle Complex Problems.

 • Versatility: Applicable to a wide range of problems in various fields.

 • Flexibility: Can be adapted to specific problem characteristics and computational constraints.

In Conclusion:

Successive approximations is a valuable tool for tackling challenging problems.

Kenneth H. Little, MA

New Hampshire

Continuous Quality Improvement

 

Want to improve your company? 

First, start by making a list of all 1 bazillion problems your company is struggling with. 

Then:

Whittle it down to the top 100,000 problems. 

Then: 

Whittle it down to the top 10,000 problems.

Then:

Whittle it down to the top 1,000 problem. 

Then:

Whittle it down to the top 100 problems. 

Then:

Whittle it down to the top 10 problems.

Then: 

Pick the top 2 problems to start with. 

Once you’ve got these 2 headed in the right direction, using Successive Approximations to slowly refine your processes and outcome, move to the next 2 problems on your list. 

Celebrate all the small wins the team achieves. 

#NewHampshire