What are some best practices for process improvement and innovation?

El impacto de la innovación es multidimensional y con distintos horizontes, por lo que, a menos que se definan a priori ciertos objetivos cuantitativos y medibles en un plazo acordado, no se podrá traducir directamente en valor económico el aporte de la innovación. Para ello debe existir acuerdo a nivel organizacional sobre los supuestos a considerar sobre aquellos indicadores clave, y también, si se evaluará el impacto que tendran las acciones de innovación en otros procesos. Por ejemplo, instalar un sistema predictivo para estimar mezcla que entrará a un molino, eficienta el costo energético, el tiempo de procesamiento, los insumos, pero a la vez genera aprendizaje y disposicion a adoptar tecnologias e innovar en otros procesos.

Definir las métricas y KPI que estén alineados con el éxito del negocio. Algunos ejemplos de KPI podrían ser, si es que fabricas cajas: 1).- cajas producidas por día 2).- cajas defectuosas por cajas producidas totales 3).- cajas producidas totales por hora-hombre 4).- costo directo de producción por caja producida Puedes colocar metas mínimas o máximas que satisfagan las metas del negocio y cumplan con la demanda de mercado y en base a ellas defines como realizas tu operación, donde asignar más o menos recursos.

Begin by flushing out what are your goals for this exercise and be very clear about what you want and need out of this exercise because the exercise in and of itself if done correctly is granular and invaluable. I don't think at this stage you'll need to identify KPIs or ROIs. I'd start small but be very clear what are the goals of this initiative. Next, What do you need to capture, this should be related to your goals and objectives. Whether it be cycle time, motion study, or defect rate you'll need to first capture what it is before looking at what it should be.

To foster process improvement and innovation, it's vital to cultivate a culture that encourages creativity and experimentation. Engage teams in continuous learning, ensuring they're up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies. Implement a feedback loop where ideas can be proposed, tested, and refined. Embrace failure as a stepping stone to success, allowing for risk-taking within calculated boundaries. Prioritize customer feedback to align innovations with market needs. Lastly, leverage data analytics to guide decisions, ensuring that improvements are measurable and aligned with strategic objectives.

One thing I found helpful before jumping into the “Smart” plans to improve a process is to determine “Why”. Why, are we looking at that process and have we clearly observation it with a wide lens without an existing bias or agenda. Lastly, prior to starting a SMART plan is without a doubt, determining if a duplicated process is already in place. Once these task have been achieved, then migration into a process like “Smart” is clearly a good next step.

Debe involucrar a toda la organización, desde el gerente general hasta los operarios, de manera de que todos los estamentos vean que todos están involucrados con un obejtivo en común. Debe capacitarlos y entregarles herramientas que les permita hacer grupos de mejora continua, utilizando métodos como los siguientes: - Tormenta de ideas (Brain Storming) - Los cinco ?por qué? - Espina de pescado - Ciclo CapDo

La innovación es multidimensional y transversal a la organización y a su cadena de valor. La voluntad, un lider validado, presupuesto y procesos (entre ellos gestión de cambio) permiten instalar la innovación en la organización. Los desafios de innovación responden a los dolores que personas enfrentan día a día, generalmente en la operación, ellos deben participar en la ideación y evaluación, pues serán quienes la adoptarán y cambiaran su dia a dia. Los proveedores deben participar para indicar si pueden responder a los nuevos requerimientos, por ejemplo si deben modificar los insumos para un proceso, y si la innovación es en el front end, el cliente debe ser consultado para que la solución se acomode a sus necesidades y a sus procesos

I have always found the term stakeholder misleading; stakeholders should include everyone who does or is involved with the action. I agree with the statement question of clear communication with all parties, we call that change management, and while some may find it unnecessary, it plays a very important role in the overall adoption of launching a project as well as buy-in for change later on. You should request active participation and solicit feedback throughout a project. Remember, leadership should not fill this in or share how they see things being done. The only people who can and should share how something is done or not done are the people doing the activity. Following this principal is the only way to truly capture a process.

For process improvement and innovation, involving stakeholders is key. Here’s what I’ve learned: ?? Engage Early: Bring stakeholders into the conversation from the start. Their insights can shape the direction and ensure the process meets actual needs. ?? Frequent Communication: Keep everyone updated. Regular check-ins foster a sense of ownership and can spark valuable feedback. ?? Act on Feedback: Show that you value their input by acting on it. This builds trust and encourages more open communication. In my experience, these practices make a big difference. They turn stakeholders into partners in the journey of improvement and innovation.

It is crucial to involve all stakeholders from engineers to the operator that is doing the day to day job. I have seen so many companies start to make changes and not involve the right stakeholders to start with and it fails because of this.

To help improve a process you should collect and analyze data on your current processes to determine baseline performance from which you can identify areas for improvement through comparing with benchmark performance and best demonstrated performance. After identifying opportunities for improvement, develop strategies on the processes which are the dominant constraint until their performance is elevated to the level of other processes When testing strategies, you should test new ideas on a small scale before implementing them on a larger scale. To promote CI, you should communicate and celebrate successes so everyone is motivated to keep improving.

Para mejorar la eficiencia productiva en una fabricación de varias etapas, lo primero que debe identificar es su etapa mas lenta, pues es la que determina la velocidad final de la línea productiva. Esta etapa es la que debe mejorar de manera de aumentar la velocidad final de la línea productiva. Una vez lleve ese proceso al máximo posible, verifique nuevamente cual es su etapa mas lenta. Si es otra mejórelo de igual manera, si es la misma solo queda agregar mas turnos o máquinas que realicen ese mismo proceso.

We focus on root cause analysis. Considering that no one does anything that isn't value-add we start by understanding why people do what they do and how they do it and automate mundane tasks, manual workarounds, cobbling, or redundancies. I would evaluate if industry standards are appropriate for the organization's process, technology stack, corporate culture, and appetite before considering any of them. Industry standards are guidelines, not a rule book to follow blindly.

System mapping is an excellent, visual design tool to help a team understand their current state and envision their future state. Through a drawing of interconnected circles, a team can visualize how stakeholders and processes are connected. This visual review helps ensure that changes to improve one are of your system do not negatively impact another.

An operator, doer, whatever title they choose, moves quickly. Common side effect of doing so? The process stays in their head [been there]. Mapping the process might seem daunting, but it’s the first step towards seeing how things operate for what they are. - You find what's causing you the headaches & you learn how to fix them 1-at-a-time - You lay out the steps your customers need to take & you put a repeatable process in place for each - You keep track of how & when you communicate & you put an async system in place to work less - You set boundaries on your service & process & you spend time doing the things you love Step by step, surface to core, you'll get back to sailing. Pro tip: buy a nice desk-side whiteboard.

Identificado el dolor, es clave propiciar la colaboración, no solo del equipo interno, sino tambien de proveedores u actores del ecosistema de innovación que aporten a la generación de ideas y evaluacion de hipotesis, teniendo no solo la mirada interna sino tambien el benchmarking del mercado. Partiendo de eso, dise?ar pruebas de concepto y prototipos a la mínima escala para entender las soluciones, seleccionar y con esa cartera ir refinando las soluciones. Con dichos prototipos más elaborados presentarse a los usuarios y recoger opiniones, y con dicho feedback avanzar con un portafolio mínimo en la evaluación técnica y económica de las posibles soluciones

Teams are much more likely to respond well to a peer who understands their world. Growing orgs should look within their teams for champions who can advocate for change in relatable ways and exemplify the spirit of continuous improvement when testing. In the operations world, we call these people “change champions," and they make great "future state" testers. If you're looking to assemble a team to fine-tune a process or poke around products or services to find issues, look no further than your champions. They possess the knowledge and experience necessary to identify potential improvements and provide insightful feedback to the stakeholders. This approach provides a safe cohort to test with, while still providing real user experiences.

I have this discussion all the time with clients. Considering your future state does not exist yet you can not draw or test it unless you consider all of the critical factors that make up the future state environment. 1-What will change in our current environment to support the future environment? 2-Do we have all of the tools, resources, and human capital to support such a future state? 3-What will affect the success of this plan? 4-Are we truly set up to accomplish our future state goal? You can't say we want to take on 30% more orders or produce 40% more of a widget and only buy new hammers or a new WMS. Future states require considering all of the key factors including your budget, processes, technology, people, and appetite for change

For process improvement and innovation, designing and testing future states is vital. It's about envisioning how processes can be optimized and then experimenting to find the best approach. Here are a few tips: ??Map out current processes to identify inefficiencies. ??Engage team members in brainstorming sessions for new ideas. ??Prototype new solutions and test them in controlled settings. This approach ensures that changes are not just theoretical but practical, leading to sustainable improvements. It's a method I've found effective in fostering a culture of continuous innovation.

Even though it is important to "design and test your future state", things may not always turn out as designed with a happy flow all the time and as such some edge cases could potentially also appear inevitably. As such, from my experience, it is important to test and pilot new processes, and continue to iterate continuously along the way with revisions, ensuring our solutions are not only effective but also scalable and adaptable to the dynamic demands of the fintech industry.

Ya habiendo dise?ado y realizadas las pruebas necesarias, debe funcionar en modo producción y deberá monitorear el éxito o fracaso de su implementación. Existen diversos softwares para estos efectos o simplememente lo puede hacer monitoreando los KPI previamente definidos. Debe comunicar y celebrar los resultados a su equipo de trabajo y si es necesario, deberá iterar en la propuesta, utilizando diversas herramientas de mejora continua existentes. De esta manera mantiene la motivación y apoyo de sus colaboradores.

Develop a 'Change Implementation Roadmap' detailing every step of the rollout process. Use project management tools to track progress. Post-implementation, hold regular 'Impact Review Meetings' to monitor changes, ensuring they deliver the expected outcomes and adjusting as needed.

Implementing and monitoring your changes is crucial in process improvement and innovation. Here’s how I’ve made it work: ?? Start by breaking down the changes into small, manageable steps. This makes implementation less daunting and more achievable. ?? Monitor the impact of each change closely. Use data and feedback to see what's working and what's not. ?? Be ready to adjust. Sometimes, the first attempt isn’t perfect. Use what you learn to tweak and improve. ?? Patience is key. Significant improvements take time. Stay the course, and you'll see positive results. This approach has been a game-changer for me. Give it a try, and witness the transformation in your processes too.

Once your future state is designed and tested, it's time to implement and monitor the changes. Here’s how: 1. Use Structured Approaches: Apply tools like project management, change management, and risk management to ensure smooth execution and minimize resistance. 2. Set Up Feedback Loops: Continuously collect data and feedback to track the impact of changes, ensuring alignment with goals. 3. Celebrate Success: Share results and achievements with stakeholders to maintain engagement and build long-term support. By carefully managing implementation and monitoring progress, you ensure sustained success and drive continuous improvement. How do you ensure effective implementation? Share your thoughts!

One of the biggest mistakes is not continually improving even on those things that you are doing well. Organizations are an intertwined network of collaborations and connections. When one area makes a change, even if it is an improvement, it is not without some sort of impact, positive or otherwise, to another area, whether we see it or not. So, there should always be an assessment or question of are the improvements aligning. Don’t ever stop looking for ways to be more efficient. Even if you find you can’t, you have done the due diligence!

I strongly believe that process improvement and innovation is a continuous journey, not a destination. Furthermore, I really enjoy being in a culture that is open and committed to ongoing improvement, where we can easily bounce ideas off our team members and managers, alongside operational performance monitoring. This further allows us to better identify gaps for operational excellence and set new benchmarks in operational efficiency.

Know your long-term vision, update your goals annually, and break your annual goal into smaller quarterly goals needed to get you there. Keep it focused and reasonable, minimizing the number of goals a few (under 5!) that will have the biggest impact - think of the Pareto principle - what 20% of actions will have 80% of the impact?

One of the most important steps in process improvement is to constantly monitor the changes that has been done and to seek for continuous improvement. Isolated improvements tends to fail when left on autopilot without proper follow-up.