Number 152 – Assess the Long-Term Results

Assess the long-term results of an improvement.

Practitioners: integrative, and strategic

One of the most frequent complaints associated with any improvement project is the lack of sustainable results.  As a tactical practitioner, focusing on improving the method or process is foremost in my purview.  Working through the end-to-end process improvement cycle and moving to the next opportunity is what makes a great tactical practitioner.  Who, then, is to assess the long-term results of an improvement?  This question is often left unanswered and thus reveals the source of the complaint.

In the SMPL OpEx framework, we not only answer the question, but we also establish processes to ensure that assessing results becomes a stable and consistent part of the overall process.  The process owner is the responsible party, and the tool used to stabilize the assessment is leaders’ standard work.  These accountability cycles are added to the routine of a process owner to ensure the appropriate focus and attention is held in place through regular and frequent conversations with the process team members.

Long-Term Results

How many times have you solved the same problem?  When I ask this question, many teams look frustrated and disgusted and answer ‘too many times?’   Why do we think ‘hurry up’ is the right answer.  Pace is critical to long-term success.  Pace is something we build in our teams through practice.  Pace is about the speed of change.  Who sets the pace of change in our organizations.  Many executives would like to think that they do.  That is another problem.  The slowest member of the team sets the pace. 

We saw in OpEx TopEx number 91, coaching and training is the answer to many problems, including a slow pace of change.  The more frequently we practice change, the quicker the pace grows.  There is a reason George Koenigsaecker tells us that after five iterations of process improvement, our teams become acclimated to the process, and there is no looking back. 

The accountability cycles hold our team’s attention to change and allows us to involve them in assessing long-term results.  It also invites them to identify and solve new problems.  If you want your program to thrive, we must practice change, increase the pace, and pay attention to what we have done. 

Questions For Your Consideration

Where do you see power or force present in your organization?

Where are improved relational processes needed to overcome some barrier to better organizational performance?

How does encouragement enable progress?

How do you respond to requests for help in removing barriers?

I hope you find this inaugural idea both familiar and thoughtful.  I hope you find a new way to overcome an old problem.

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