Review continuous improvement

MSS407013 Review continuous improvement processes

This unit of is about reviewing and further developing an existing local process for kaizen continuous improvement. The kaizen process means to encourage staff to frequently participate in presenting small ideas for improvement that can often be immediately implemented. These include improving the way they do their jobs, the flow of information, and workflow.

This unit is intended for team leaders and people with a similar sphere of influence/ scope of authority and responsibility. It applies to individuals who are already familiar with change leadership in a competitive systems and practices environment through either previous study or industry experience. It covers skills in reviewing existing continuous improvement processes in a team, area or department environment, or a small or medium sized enterprise (SME). This unit may also be applied to service organisations applying competitive systems and practices principles, and allows for different work environments and conditions that might affect performance.

Competitive competitive systems and practices usually cover review and improvement in cost, quality, delivery, safety/environment, and employee capability. For this unit, "competitive systems and practices" includes kaizen continuous improvement. They can also include:

lean operations agile operations preventative and predictive maintenance approaches statistical process control systems, including six sigma and three sigma Just in Time (JIT), kanban and other pull-related operations control systems supply, value, and demand chain monitoring and analysis 5S breakthrough improvement (kaizen blitz)

cause/effect diagrams overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) takt time process mapping problem solving run charts standard procedures current reality tree.

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How you will be assessed

You will be assessed through:

• Assessor observation on the job
• Supervisor reference (if the assessor is not the supervisor)
• Review of your workplace documents (e.g. procedures)
• Interview/assignment based on the requirements below.
• A third-party report, or similar, may be needed, particularly when the project has been done as part of a project team.

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Practical

1. You will be assessed holistically in the workplace, based on a review of processes used.
2. You need to be in the role of a team leader, which can be either a formal, permanent role or an ad hoc role in leading a workplace team.
3. You will need access to all tools, equipment, materials and documentation required, including relevant workplace procedures and specifications associated with this unit.
4. For RPL students, "currency" means performed in the last twelve months.

You need to show that you have completed at least one review of kaizencontinuous improvement processes, incuding:

1. review current kaizen practices and outcomes
2. develop a plan for improving kaizen processes
3. implement the improved processes and check that improvement has occurred.

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Interview/assignment questions

1. Explain the kaizen processes for continual improvement.
2. Implementation:
1. How and these processes can be implemented.
2. What kinds of barriers face implementation and how do you overcome them?
3. How do you make processs efficient so that it does not take too much time?
3. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
1. What KPIs apply to you?
2. What KPIs apply to your department?
3. How do KPIs contribute to your achievements?
4. What is the difference between KPIs leading to suboptimal performance and those optimising the whole?
5. Consider the relevance of KPIs:
1. Did KPIs help improve performance? Explain why or why not.
2. Are KPIs still encouraging desirable performance? (currency)
3. What are the unintended consequences of KPIs? (I.e. Do KPIs lead to outcomes which are not desirable, even if some performance is desirable?)
4. Is the balance between desirable and undesirable outcomes strong and positive? (i.e. signal/noise)
4. What legislation, regulation, codes of practice, contracts etc. applies to your position?
5. What sustainability principles are relevant to the process in your situation?
6. Describe how to influence, persuade and negotiate change an improvement in your situation.
7. You need to assess key elements in your organization relevant to competitive systems and practices. The way you do it (i.e. tools) needs to be relevant to your organization and its processes. How do you measure or assess:
1. Costs?
2. Quality?
3. Delivery?
4. Safety/environment?
5. Staff capability?
6. Information flow?
7. Workflow?
8. Which of the following bases for comparing outcomes did you use? (You must have used at least one.)
1. benefit/cost
2. timing
3. value stream implications
4. sustainability issues
5. process reliability issues
6. benefit to customer/perceived customer benefit.
9. What resources did you need to consider? (For example equipment, materials (e.g. raw materials, components, work in progress and other consumables), energy (e.g. heating, cooling and fuel), people/skills, finances).

Note: Your assessor may also ask you a variety of what if questions.

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Detailed requirements

1. Review continuous improvement practice

1. Review performance against current key performance indicators (KPIs).
2. Review KPIs for ongoing relevance.
3. Review current state of continuous improvement processes.
4. Audit sustainability (social, ecological and economic) changes as a result of continuous improvement activity.
5. Analyse problems to determine root cause.
6. Identify areas for improvement to KPIs and continuous improvement processes.

 

2. Develop a plan for enhancing improvement processes

1. Prioritise areas requiring action.
2. Develop a range of possible solutions, including taking into account the impact of the solution on any codes of practice, standards, contracts and commercial or industrial agreements.
3. Discuss possible solutions and implications with stakeholders.
4. Compare outcomes from possible solutions to competitive systems and practices philosophy.
5. Choose actions which are most compatible with competitive philosophy.
6. Draft implementation plan for chosen action.
7. Obtain required approvals and modify plan, as required.

 

3. Implement enhanced improvement process

1. Communicate changes to improvement processes to team members.
2. Resolve issues and problems identified by team members.
3. Obtain sign-off from process/system owner.
4. Arrange for skills development as necessary.
5. Arrange for required resources to be available.
6. Establish and implement KPIs for modified continuous improvement process.
7. Implement planned changes.
8. Check the planned improvements have occurred.
9. Take action to sustain improvement by standardising.

 

4. Use at least one of the following techniques for sustaining improvement.

1. Standard procedures and work instructions
2. Standard practice
3. Other relevant documents and practices.

 

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