How to Propose Improvements for Methodology

Flow charts are helpful devices for methodology improvement

Proposing improvements in methodology should be a very straightforward, obvious task: you see a methodological problem, you identify and implement a solution, and you test it to see if the change works. Unfortunately, the process is only that simple when working with exceptionally small organizations, usually consisting of no more than one person. Proposing improvements in methodology to larger organizations, such as a family or a business, requires a little more planning to achieve desired results.

Instructions

1. Select a methodology or process for improvement. This may be something as simple as defining the route taken when driving the kids to school, or as complex as manufacturing a computer chip. If a method seems to be failing, that would be an excellent candidate for process review. However, you can also choose something that seems to be adequate and see if further improvements are possible. It would be very helpful to collect some baseline data about how well this methodology is currently performing (for example, how long car pool takes every morning, or how many computer chips are produced per hour).

2. Assemble a team to study the methodology. This presents two advantages: it allows several minds to work on a single problem, often producing better results, and perhaps more importantly, it gives more people in the organization a sense of "buy-in," meaning they feel invested in the changes and are therefore more likely to approve and implement them.

3. Flowchart the methodology as it currently exists. Indicate in the flow chart the specific steps that the methodology involves.

4. Identify from the flowchart the bottlenecks that impede the efficiency of the methodology. Determine the root cause of that issue, and design an adaptation to remove the bottleneck.

5. Flowchart the revised methodology and present it to the entire group of individuals that will be affected by the changes. Discuss the changes, make minor adjustments if necessary, and seek consensus on the implementation of the new methodology.

6. Implement the methodology and collect performance data. Does the car pool take less time? Are more computer chips being produced per hour? Present the revised data to the group, and discuss any new issues that may have arisen from the changes. Seek consensus from the group to continue the new methodology.

References

• Balanced Scorecard Institute: Handbook for Basic Process Improvement
• Harvard Business Review: "When is Process Improvement Strategically Important?" by Brad Power, October 29, 2010