Course objectives: 
This course contains the basic continuous improvement tools and techniques of Root Cause Analysis and provides a foundation for further development into more sophisticated problem solving and business improvement approaches if desired. This will enable the participant to engage knowledgably in improvement projects up to the standard usually associated with Total Quality programmes, Quality Circles and Gemba Kaizen.

Please click below for registration form which may be faxed, emailed or mailed to DHI

Reference also David Hutchins latest book - Hoshin Kanri - The Strategic Approach to Continuous Improvement

Extract from the Chapter on Continuous Improvement

The process of Continuous or Project by Project improvement is at the core of all successful business improvement programmes. The tools included here are fundamental to all problem solving and continuous improvement activities whether it be Six Sigma, Quality Circles or any other disciplined approach. When combined with Process Analysis and Process Re-engineering and the higher level tools such as Designed Experiments in Six Sigma Black Belt training there are very few problems that cannot be tackled and solved.

Quality Improvement is a never ending process. Man has always been able to find better ways of doing things and the likelihood is that this will always be the case. The simple truth is that if we do not continue to improve our competitors certainly will and we will be left behind.

Continuous Improvement of course happens to some extent whether it is planned or not. In many cases it happens because a supplier has improved his products and forced improvement on us. For example, a new computer will have the latest operating system. This is not the sort of improvement that is considered here. This is evolutionary improvement and happens to all organisations alike. This chapter is concerned with revolutionary improvement that has been deliberately introduced and encouraged throughout the organisation as a discipline or all to use as a means of continually improving the position of the organisation in its market place in comparison with its competitors. The fact that the organisation is improving at all is important, but it is the comparative rate of improvement which matters. Otherwise competitors may improve at a faster rate. If they are behind now it is fortunate but there is no guarantee that they will not catch up. On the other hand, the pressure may be to make up lost ground on others who are currently ahead.

This chapter is designed to show how continuous improvement can become a structured part of the organisation and the principle means by which the gaps between current performance and desired goals from the KPIs can be closed.

Continuous Improvement can occur in two possible ways, evolutionary and revolutionary.

The fastest rates of continuous improvement will demand the best methods and disciplines. Even the methods themselves are subject to improvement so inevitably the methods will change as new and better tools, techniques and number crunching software are found and applied. There was a step jump in our ability to effect change when we began to use sophisticated computer software to do some of the more complex data analysis for techniques such as Design of Experiments, correlation analysis and other techniques which require massive data processing. However, what does not seem to change is the sequence of events that are necessary in order to go from ‘Problem, Effect or Symptoms’ (these three words have more or less the same meaning in problem solving) to Solution or Remedy and then through to Fool Proofing or Control.The first disciplined roadmap for methods improvement came from the work study discipline in the early part of the 20th Century.

This was referred to as ‘SREDIM’ – Select – Record – Examine – Develop – Install – Maintain.

Dr Juran later simplified this to ‘Symptom – Cause – Remedy’ which is nice and easy to follow and which is still my preference.

Today as is shown in the Six Sigma Chapter, the fashionable acronym in popular use is ‘DMAIC’ – Define – Measure – Analyse – Install – Control. Essentially all of these have the same general meaning and all follow the same sequence. Their use is merely a matter of personal preference.

There is another which is still in popular use especially in the motor industry which is known as 8D TOPS.