Managing a business is often seen as an easy job, especially if you see it with the eyes of the lower ranks. It seems that the people in the management are just sitting and doing nothing all day. However, there are many reasons why this is not the case at all as you can see in this page. Most of the time, people in management are sitting due to their work: keeping everything afloat. It can be done by thoroughly planning and examining the status of the business, which is not easy the bigger your company becomes.

However, there is one thing that you can never avoid in the business: doing mistakes. There is always room for error in every facet of the company, but it does amplify in the production stages. If your product fails, then everything falls apart as well. This creates a domino effect that no one wants to face since the process has already started. The only way left is to minimize the damage and minimize the possibility of it happening ever again.

Progress for the Best

There are several ways that this can be achieved. One is through business process improvement or continual improvement process. It involves creating new ways of making sure that everything works according to plan. It sounds impossible, as every facet of the business experiences a degree of error. However, you must remember that perfection is a continuous process of improvement. Effort without looking at the details is just a gun without a target, and the effort would be wasted in the end.

Before embarking on the various ways for process improvement, some things need to be addressed, It should be noted that not all of these techniques work, but they can help you depending on the situation. These techniques can work in small-scale environments, but the effects can be seen easier if done on a wider scale.

The Methodology Behind It All

1. Kaizen

The Japanese have always been known to be practical when it comes to managing their businesses. They make sure that everything in any kind of process is done to save time and effort. One of their most influential sets of management skills is known as kaizen or continuous improvement. As the name suggests, perfection is not the aim but guides the person to the destination. It prioritizes smaller acts, as this will reflect on the major goals later on.

One of the offspring of this principle is the 5S:

seiri (sort)

seiton (set in order)

seisō (shine)

seiketsu (standardize)

shitsuke (sustain).

These fives are the so-called steps, and each of them must be achieved to maximize the team’s potential. It is targeting the habits inside the workplace and developing better plans to tackle smaller issues like cleanliness and orderliness.

Another part of Kaizen is the PDCA or Plan, Do, Check, and Act. This is for the larger issues that need to be arranged to make sense. First, you need to know the problem, then identify ways of solving it. Afterward, see if the solution did work and the factors that affected the outcome. If it has succeeded, then the project is done. Otherwise, you need to go back a few steps to see where it went wrong.

2. Six Sigma

This is also another family of continuous improvement processes, but this emerged from the West. However, it still has its roots in the East since it uses karate belts or titles for the employees. Each belt or rank has its set of responsibilities, and you can move up for the more difficult yet rewarding challenges. The result seeks to see whether these employees realize their true potential by pushing them to aim for the top of the ranks.

One unique aspect of this approach is there are two ways that you can do this BPI. First is the DMAIC or define, measure, analyze, improve, and control. The other is DMADV or define, measure, analyze, design, and verify. Dividing these processes into two helps everyone understand the goals and strive harder to reach them.

Another technique used that came from Six Sigma is the Cause and Effect analysis. As the name suggests, it ties up the factors that have led the project to its failure or success. It uses diagrams to see whether some of the practices are effective or otherwise.

Meanwhile, the DMAIC or DMADV can be measured through the use of the SIPOC analysis. It helps the person see whether some of the steps done were effective or not. This is useful if there are so many processes involved that you need to organize them in a table.

3. Customer-Based Solutions

If you are looking to see whether the steps that you have done reflect on the customers, then you might want to use value stream mapping. It uses the perceptions of the customer as a guide to see whether your strategies are working or not. Also, it measures the opinion of the people on a certain product. The VSM can be used to check whether the general population would want to have more of your product or otherwise.

On the other hand, total quality management is for those who want to tackle the idea of the entire organization along with its products and services. It builds rapport with the customers and helps you solidify your presence as a company in their mindsets. Meanwhile, it creates an environment wherein the employees are not berated due to their mistakes but still lauded for their efforts. It satisfies your human resource and the source of income at the same time.

4. Kanban

Another Japanese process, but it focuses on the leadership skills of the management. It uses a board to see your progress and the company goals as well. This strategy attacks the morale of the employees and pushes them to improve along with the company. It is a more proactive process, and it might take time to set--up but it can be worth it. Read more about this here:https://www.business2community.com/strategy/kanban-part-2-how-to-get-started-with-kanban-02344069.

5. Process Mapping

Meanwhile, this is a mapping of the business’s process for everything involved in the situation. As we have also mentioned prior, this is making things easier for the management to see what they need to do. Process mapping uses flowcharts and other similar tools to convey its message, and it is an effective tool to visualize your goals.