At the end of this course, the participants should be able to:
- Define continuous improvement and applying it in the organization
- Define productivity and various types of organizational waste
- Justify and apply quality improvement tools and techniques in order to improve productivity
- Apply several cost reduction strategies in order to meet changing global, statutory and market conditions
- Recognize and apply measuring initiatives and set targets in order to improve productivity
Fundamentals of Continuous Improvement
- What is continuous improvement?
- Continuous improvement as a philosophy of progressive evolution
- What are the tools for continuous improvement?
- The seven-parts to the continuous improvement cycle
- Purpose, plan, implementation, positive feedback, Negative feedback, adapt, return to purpose
- Setting SMART targets
How to Improve
- Improve your communication
- Improve by perfect planning
- Improve by developing your systems
- Improve by creative problem-solving
- Improve by continuous learning
- Improve by invention and innovation
- Write your improvement action plan
Productivity Defined
- Definitions
- Productivity limitations
- Process based view
- The 'Muda' factor
- Eight types of waste
- Cost of poor quality
Productivity Improvement Tools
- Productivity improvement project road map
- Tool selection
- Brain storming
- Pareto
- Why-How method
- Non value-added analysis
- Ishikawa fish-bone diagram
- Six Sigma
Cost Reduction Opportunities and Increasing Productivity
- SMART practices for increasing productivity
- Cost savings opportunities
- Barriers to a cost cutting program
- Getting commitment to a cost cutting program
- Ideas to cut costs and increase productivity
