Assessing CI Journey Progress
How do you ensure your CI endeavours are on the right track and genuinely producing value? Many businesses invest in CI programmes, yet there remain critical questions: Are we getting the best out of our efforts? Are these programmes fostering real, lasting benefits for our customers, staff, and the bottom line?
This is where our Continuous Improvement Maturity Assessment will show tangible benefits. Think of it as a health check for your CI journey. By offering an external perspective, combined with the benchmarking of best practices, this assessment gives organisations a clear view of where they stand. We delve into key areas like results review, alignment with larger business goals, CI methodologies, and essential cultural factors. The outcome is a comprehensive report mapping your CI state, consultation on setting the right targets, and a forward-looking roadmap to seamlessly integrate CI into your broader business strategy.
What is a Continuous Improvement Maturity Assessment?
A programme of work designed to assess the progress and maturity of an organisation’s Continuous Improvement (CI) journey. The assessment includes focus on: Review of Results and Benefits realisation, Alignment to the wider enterprise, CI capabilities and methodologies, and Cultural Enablers including behaviours and personal development needs.
Outputs provide a detailed report on the state of CI mapped against multiple levels of attainment and performance. Consultation with leadership on “what good looks like” to agree appropriate objectives and targets then drives Gap analysis and development of a CI Roadmap which the organisation can build into its ongoing Corporate and Business planning activities.
How will this assessment help your business?
Most organisations recognise the importance of a CI programme and invest in it, but is it being done well and how can it be developed to best serve the organisation, its customers and staff? A CI maturity assessment allows an organisation to engage the most experienced critical friend in providing a vital external perspective. Understanding the current situation, contemporary “best practice” and a roadmap to guide future development, helps an organisation move at the right pace and maximise the return.
Our Approach
Assessments are based on Catalyst’s proven maturity models. These involve a range of quantitative and qualitative research approaches featuring strong engagement with the organisation’s leadership, people and where appropriate, customer/stakeholder groups.
- We begin by examining the Vision/CI Deployment strategy in use and test how it is communicated and positioned within the core organisation and across the extended enterprise of Suppliers, Partners and Customers.
- Consideration of the leadership for CI; is the right work being done and how is it sponsored, how are initiatives and projects selected and how is work governed? This includes sharing of best practice, integration with Management behaviour, recognition and personal engagement in the work by top management.
- CI Management Systems and methodologies; is the work being done right with appropriate management methodologies, focus on process, with CI tools & techniques in use such as Value Stream Mapping and problem solving. Are the skills to support delivery of the work evident in the existence and effectiveness of Lean Management Systems and coaching?
- People and Team development; do the skills and competencies demonstrated by those involved in CI work meet the organisation’s current and future needs. What development needs exist and how are training and skills transfer matched to fulfil these needs. Concepts of Waste elimination, Variation reduction and Problem Solving should be clear in the mindset and capabilities of individuals and the wider organisation.
- Measurement, Metrics and Results; what data is being captured and used at a strategic and tactical level to progress the CI program and individual work streams delivered by it? How is this information gathered, analysed and communicated/visualised. “Management by fact” is a key element of effective CI systems.
- Culture; how is the requirement to “create the right environment” understood and acted upon? The organisation’s Core Values should be clear and communicated, forming an integrated foundation for CI work. A safe and open culture encourages honesty, trust and the priceless feedback that effective CI requires.
A Catalyst lead consultant directs and coordinates the assessment, supported by other resources during the research/discovery phase of the work.
