Is Improvement about What or Why?
I was very interested to read the following tweet from a very
respected commentator on the subject of Improvement Mr Bob Marshall
@flowchainsensei
" Any phrase containing the word 'process' is much more about
the 'what' than the 'why' "
This started me thinking, when we glibly use the term "Process
Improvement" is it what we are really intending to say. The
implication of what Bob said is that if we use the term process we
are certainly talking about the carrying out of any task, (the
doing).
I have said many times in the past, (even recently in this
blog), we must not carry out wasteful activities more
efficiently.
So let's not talk about "Process Improvement", instead we should
seek to "Improve" our tasks after
always asking the most fundamental of questions, "WHY", if after
making this most important query we deem that the task is
necessary, then we should try everything we can to improve the
"Process" of carrying out the task.
So in essence the point made by Bob is an extremely valid one
and we should not ask what until we have asked why.
Jargon Buster:
Blue Sky - Also known as Visioneering. This is a pictorial
Project Management Methodology. Enables organisations to set future
policy, goals and direction which supports future policy
deployment. Set clear responsibilities, involves staff members at
ALL levels. Easy to maintain and providing status in real time.
Contains the organisations mission statement cascaded into aligned
objectives.