Continuous Improvement
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Continuous improvement is the ongoing effort to enhance products, services, or processes through incremental and breakthrough improvements.
Definition
Continuous improvement is the ongoing, systematic effort to enhance processes, products, and services through both incremental daily improvements and periodic breakthrough improvements. Unlike one-time improvement projects with defined endpoints, continuous improvement is embedded in daily work as a permanent operating philosophy. Every process can be improved, every result can be bettered, and every person can contribute to this improvement. The Japanese concept of kaizen embodies this philosophy, treating improvement as infinite and everyone's responsibility.
Examples
A production line implements continuous improvement through daily team huddles where operators identify and solve small problems. Over five years, thousands of small changes—a better tool placement, a clearer visual, a simpler procedure—accumulated into 40% productivity improvement without any major capital investment.
Key Points
- Continuous improvement never ends—there is no perfect state, only better states
- Small daily improvements compound over time into dramatic results
- Involves everyone, not just improvement specialists or management
- Combines daily kaizen with periodic breakthrough kaizen events
Common Misconceptions
Continuous improvement is slow. While individual improvements may be small, their cumulative effect over time is substantial. Organizations practicing continuous improvement typically outperform those relying solely on large improvement projects.
Continuous improvement means constant change that confuses workers. Good continuous improvement stabilizes before improving. Changes are tested, standardized when effective, and clearly communicated. The goal is improvement, not churn.