Too often as consultants you hear those familiar 10 words, “It has been done before and it did not work”. These words are born out of frustration, frustration of collaborating with consultants/CI’s to build a solution only for it to fall away over time. When we probe further into these 10 words 100% of the time you find that yes, a project was done in this area many moons ago and the solution or improvement identified actually worked for a period of time after implementation. So the question really is ‘why does it still not work’?
Six Sigma, Prince 2, Kaizen principles, Coriolis tool kit and philosophy all specify the importance of bringing ‘users’ on the journey of change. ‘Users’ being those who will be left with/use the improvement upon project closure. Through collaborating with users you ensure that a solution is established that firstly has user buy-in and secondly meets their operational needs which they’re willing to apply. If we take this as the standard approach to identifying and implementing improvements then this must account for the reason why the improvement identified actually worked for a period of time after implementation.
What is missing in order to ensure improvements ‘stand the test of time’?
The answer to this is ‘Control’. Arguably the most important stage of a project the control phase is regularly ignored. Six Sigma includes Control as part of the DMAIC process; Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, CONTROL. Prince 2 highlights control as part of its project management cycle; Plan, Delegate, Monitor, CONTROL. So if the control phase is so widely preached within lean and project management, why is it that it does not get the same level of focus as that of the analyse or improve phase of a project. It can be perceived that uncovering the root cause of a problem and then rectifying it is the most exciting and most rewarding part of a project. Once this level of euphoria has been achieved by the project team the control phase suffers as the project is perceived as being done. As per any milestone in a project, when it comes to the control stage it is important that it is assessed. A robust project control plan should be in place.
How can we apply control in order to sustain improvements?
For the control phase to work you need to have a process owner and a control document. The process owner will be identified as part of the control document to own the improvement process after the project is complete; typically this will be assigned to a team leader or mid manager. Duties of the process owner will be to audit the process output, in doing so the process owner will check to ensure that the process specifications or targets are being achieved. If the specifications are not being met the process owner will refer to the control document for guidance in terms of the ‘What’ and ‘How’. The control document will act as a user guide for all improvements captured during the project, specifying how often the control document needs to be reviewed and by whom, thereby ensuring that improvements are sustained.
When change does occur in the business whether that is due to; the transition of process owner or the improvement is no longer relevant, we should look to review and update the control plan accordingly, capturing the revision and summary of changes made. This helps in supporting continuous improvement within the business whilst also ensuring that all standards and processes are still relevant, thereby sustaining improvements.
As consultants we care about your business and the longevity of our business relationship. That is why it is important to us that we establish a solution that fits your business that will be sustained in the long term. To ensure we sustain improvements we need to;
- Ensure that ‘users’ are available to collaborate as part of the project team
- Commit to the control phase of the project before closure
- Identify a process owner and ensure they have agreed to roles and responsibilities
- Establish a control document which encapsulates the improvements from the project
Should you wish to go through the control document in further detail please do not hesitate to contact Gary O’Callaghan- Management Consultant; gary.ocallaghan@coriolis.co.uk
