CAN WE KEEP GETTING BETTER?

1. CAN WE KEEP GETTING BETTER? Presented by Dr Reg Allen CEO Tasmanian Qualifications Authority

2. ISSUES TO BE CONSIDERED • What is ‘continuous improvement’? • Why is continuous improvement a good idea • for organisations and individuals? • How to promote a culture of continuous • improvement in your organisation.

3. Why does an organisation need to keep improving? • to keep up with the competition • to respond to the changing environment • to meet higher customer expectations • to improve efficiency

4. Continuous Improvement “A planned and ongoing process that involves an organisation in systematically reviewing and improving its policies, procedures and products to generate better outcomes for clients and to meet changing needs”. (AQTF 2007)

5. Key Elements Planned Getting better - higher quality - more quantity - faster - cheaper Changing with changing times

6. What does this mean for an organisation? Always look for the edge that makes you better than the competition Take charge of making changes – don’t wait to be reactive to criticisms Always keep customer satisfaction as the bottom line 6

7. Continuous improvement can be at both an organisation and a function level Whole of organisation examples might be:  improvements to work site  upgrades of software Improvements to specific functions might be such things as:  amending training schedules  reviewing assessment instruments

8. Why can’t we get it right the first time? • We probably can but circumstances change • We often have to do our best and then see how it works • It may not be worth the effort to put so much time into a • task to try to get it absolutely right 8

9. What’s in it for the individual? • Rewarding to do better • Liberating in that you are not locked in to current practice • Encourages people to push themselves • Gives everyone a voice • Positive reinforcement from satisfied customers 9

10. What is the difference between quick fixes and systematic improvements? Just fixing things treats every instance as an isolated case. Systematic continuous improvement fixes things but also considers the implications for the function and/or the organisation.

11. Continuous improvement is both a mind-set and a range of techniques • as a mind set it is a way of approaching work so that a culture of innovation and quality is encouraged • as a range of techniques it involves processes and tools to make sure it happens

12. Where should I put my effort: tools or culture? New tools alone doesn’t do it: • can have new processes, forms, registers, databases etc without real impact Convince staff of the value and empower them to identify and make improvements: • they will find, get hold of, make the tools they need

13. The right kind of culture sounds like this: • “We need to know what our clients think about…” • “We need to fix…” • “We need to record complaints we receive by phone or in person.” • “How do we know that … change is an improvement?”

14. They will also say such things as: • “I want to improve my skills in…” • “We need a way of tracking dealing with complaints.” • “Can we have action sheets following our meetings?” • “Does someone report to management about the outcomes of the client surveys etc?” 14

15. What would an organisation that didn’t have a culture and practices of continuous improvement look like?

16. Any of these features: • a comfort and possibly even a pride in doing things as they have always been done • a belief that this current product/service will always be valued and wanted • dismissal of any outside complaints or suggestions • staff who are indifferent to faults, failures 16

17. Any of these features cont’d: • a strong discomfort with taking risks • a culture that values stability over change • practices of fixing things quietly rather than drawing them to the attention of management • decision-making based on reactions to situations 17

18. How do we create a culture of continuous improvement in our organisation? In your groups identify as many actions as you can. Group activity

19. A culture of continuous improvement is one that: • encourages employees to suggest improvements • supports employees to take risks and be tolerant of mistakes • learns from mistakes • acknowledges staff contributions

20. A culture of continuous improvement is one that: • follows through on suggestions • puts in mechanisms to help generate ideas (e.g. staff meetings, ‘brainstorming’, open-ended discussions) • reports back on improvements 20

21. Continuous Improvement Cycle 21

22. Establish the need for actionOpportunities for improvement: Incidental - those that just come up:  eg client suggestions and complaints Predictable - those that we plan:  internal audits  scheduled reviews

23. Where do the ideas for improvements come from? In your groups around the table identify as many sources of improvement suggestions that you can. Group activity

24. Where do the ideas for improvements come from? Your suggestions… Group activity

25. How do we regard negative comments and complaints? • As a problem that needs to be avoided? • As a threat? • As an opportunity for improvement? 25

26. Improvement actions Improvements can come from:  great leaps forward or  from numerous small changes

27. Great leaps forward are usually more appropriate in leading edge organisations that can take risks: • highly creative • technical developments • highly competitive

28. Small incremental improvements are appropriate for organisations that must be highly accountable: • can’t take big risks • need consistency of products and services

29. Importance of small step improvements: • can happen at all stages of all processes • staff involvement at all levels • because small, no great cost in effort • achieve impact by sheer weight of accumulation

30. Significant small improvements over time can be transforming! If we take, for example, company image/branding

31. Adopt a logo for website and stationery • Promote customer service when dealing with new clients • Develop an online newsletter • Choose areas of specialisation for which you want to become known • Participate at local conference with a display booth 31

32. How do we action suggestions for improvements? • Decide what needs to be done? • Assign people to the task/s? • Carry out the tasks? • Check that it works? 32

33. Why do lots of good improvements not get enacted? • inertia – it takes effort to make changes • day-to-day actions take precedence • lack of a ‘can do’ attitude • we are often better at big changes • management not sure how to drive change

34. Who should be responsible for continuous improvement? • CEO to lead, inspire, and monitor the system • Managers to build and implement processes • Each and every staff member to identify opportunities for improvement and undertake follow-up actions 34

35. What are possible improvements that could deal with the following situations? • An internal audit shows that your telephones are not being answered promptly. • A learner complains that they thought they were going to get a diploma rather than a certificate. • 40% of staff spoken to were not aware of the relevant form for …. Select one and identify the steps needed to implement the improvement. Group activity

36. How do you make continuous improvements systematic? • Have structured ways of getting feedback from clients and staff • Schedule regular reviews of processes • Have tools and processes for making changes • Make reasonably senior people responsible • Have ways of measuring the effectiveness of changes made

37. Some of the kit-bag of resources people use to assist them • a feedback/comment form • a suggestion box • incident reporting process • client survey • staff/industry review of courses • an action plan • internal audit schedule and reports

38. Recognising Continuous Improvements It is often hard to show others what improvements our organisation has made.

39. How do you know the changes you make are in fact improvements? • Do a follow-up survey. • Look at the function again in an internal audit. • Ask staff about the effect of the changes. 39

40. SUMMARY & QUESTIONS