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There are seven tools and methods used in the Continuous Improvement Process:

See page 154 for examples of these charts.

Flow Chart
Pareto
Cause and Effect (Fish Bone) Chart
Check Sheet
Histogram
Control Chart
Scatter Diagram

Catchy Phrases

There is always room for improvement.

Quality, Quality, Quality = Customer Satisfaction

Continuous Improvement Process is the commitment to constantly improve operations, process, and activities in order to meet customer requirements in an efficient, consistent and cost effective manner.

Continuous Improvement: Instructor Notes

Charting Your Morning Coffee

Use the flow chart symbols found in the activity
Explain the symbols
Check for understanding by asking learners to think about the steps in a task such as using the bank machine to withdraw money or getting gas at a self-serve gas station
List the steps and then put the steps into a flowchart
Read the “scrambled” steps involved in a person buying her morning cup of coffee
Put the learners into small groups and ask them to unscramble the steps
Ask each group to chart the steps in a flowchart
Have learners do a “gallery walk” to see all flowcharts and then discuss any differences and steps which could be improved
Decide on a final, correct flowchart and give learners time to copy the flowchart into their notebooks
As a group, learners could also chart the steps involved in “Joseph’s Spring Cleaning” and decide which steps could be eliminated, simplified, or modified to improve the efficiency and quality of Joseph’s Spring Cleaning