See the possibilities for your process improvement efforts

Six strategies for keeping an open mind.

Process improvement is all about looking at the things we do from a new point of view. Usually we’re looking at things that have been done the same way for a long time. It’s not always easy to see the possibilities, which is why approaching process improvement with an open mind is so important. Here are six strategies for broadening your perspective.

1.    Get the Right People in the Room 

A top-down approach is less effective than having the people who do the process—managers, business owners, and others—working together. The best way to uncover more opportunities and minimize siloed-thinking is to have many open minds collaborating to create better processes.

2.    Set Clear Objectives but Make Space for New Ideas 

It is important to set clear objectives. For example, if the goal is to make the process faster, be clear about what that means (i.e., faster for the member, the employee or system access) and why it’s important. Clear objectives will drive better decision-making during process improvement. At the same time, keep an open mind about what could be discovered along the way. Finding unexpected opportunities for improvement is common.

 

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