Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1330321
26 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2021 the individual or team level? Does that count? Millard thinks it does. She wrote, "Continuous improvement can be viewed as a formal prac- tice or an informal set of guidelines." One way to sniff out organic continuous im- provement is to listen for complaints and watch to see how those complaints are resolved. Millard advises us to "embrace them [com- plaints] as opportunities for improvement. If a team member notices something amiss and says something about it, that's a good thing. That's the beginning of the improve- ment cycle." [7] Do You Suffer from Performance Transparency? Once a complaint about an inefficiency in the process has been identified, and then mon- itored to learn how the complaint was resolved (or was it?), you also get a sense for the per- formance transparency in your organization. Was the inefficiency identified? Was a root cause determined? Was the root cause then ad- dressed? And was the resolution communicat- ed to others? Millard says, "Constant feedback is an im- portant aspect of the continuous improve- ment model. Open communication during ev- ery phase of executing an improvement is criti- cal to both the final results of the improvement and to the maintenance of employee engage- ment." [8] With respect to feedback, Dewar, Doucette and Epstein add, "Making goals public and cascading those goals (typically a balanced mix of financial and operational metrics) in a way that is tailored to individuals at all lev- els of the organization. Progress toward goals must be transparently tracked to give the front- line and management clear visibility into what is working and what needs work." [9] This is entirely reasonable when attacking continuous improvement on a larger scale. But does this work on a smaller scale? For example, how does one achieve transpar- ency when working alone, or when optimiz- ing one's individual contributions to the over- all flow of a team? To whom do you hold your- self accountable? improvement. As odd as it may sound, employ- ees might be more aware of company process- es than the management. Hence, it's important to take everyone on board when it comes to improvement. The concept is simple, the pro- cess should include employees." [4] In fact, Dewar, Doucette and Epstein point out, "Companies that excel at continuous im- provement start with the belief that success comes from: • Innovating "how" they do what they do (big and small) • Engaging all employees in sharing knowledge and generating improvement ideas • Exploring better ways to deliver to customers and respond to changes in the external environment." [5] Here at I-Connect007, we've tagged this con- cept "X=X c – 1." We're presenting the idea that incremental improvements can happen at any level and can be of any size. We posit that a significant number of small, easy-to-im- plement, no- or low-cost incremental improve- ments can add up to a significant increase in operational efficiencies, improved quality, and profitability. The "X" could be anything: steps between repetitive work tasks on the shop floor; the number of design respins needed to get a working prototype of a new product; or maybe a routine process in the accounting de- partment. Further, this kind of incremental im- provement need not necessarily require top- down company mandates to change company culture. How Can We Recognize it? The "X=X c – 1" dynamic may already be in place in your company. In a blog post, Daeda- lus Howell writes, "In its essence, continuous improvement is the practice of honing every aspect of your company's processes in a man- ner that enhances your offering's value to your customer while diminishing any activity that proves wasteful along the way." [6] What if continuous improvement is being employed within your company organically, at