Process Improvement Tools

 

Tools for Generating Ideas

Brainstorming

  • Generates multiple ideas about a problem or topic

  • Works well in groups of all sizes
Five "whys"

  • Discover the root cause of a problem

  • Shows how causes of a problem might be related
Mental imaging

  • Helps visualize key relationships and obstacles

  • Creates a detailed picture of an ideal solution

Tools for Making Decisions

Multivoting
  • Finds the important items on a list
  • Avoids a "win-lose" situation for group members
Nominal Group Technique
  • Prioritizes items in a list
  • Makes decisions based on inputs from all
Pairwise Ranking
  • Prioritizes items in a short list
  • Reaches decisions by consensus
Benchmarking
  • Measures your process against others
  • Helps identify key areas for improvement
Force Field Analysis
  • Identifies significant forces that influence you
  • Helps identify improvement opportunities

Tools for Analyzing Problems

Flowchart
  • Shows how the whole process works
  • Identifies critical stages of a process
Affinity Diagram
  • Shows relationships between factors in a problem
  • Identifies areas where you most need improvement
Cause-and-Effect Diagram
  • Determines cause of a particular effect
  • Identifies areas where you need more information
Thematic Content Analysis
  • Summarizes raw data into useful categories
  • Shows patterns in raw data
Pareto Chart
  • Identifies and separates major and minor problems
  • Prioritizes problems

Tools for Analyzing Data

Checksheet
  • Helps you collect data easily
  • Converts raw data to useful information
Histogram
  • Determines the underlying distribution of process
  • Illustrates the total variability of the process
Scatter Diagram
  • Shows relationship between variables
  • Identifies possible causes of problems
Run Chart
  • Shows changes in a process over time
  • Helps you recognize abnormal behavior in process
Boxplot
  • Gives detailed look at trends and variability
  • Shows changes in a process over time
Control Chart
  • Shows variations in a process (special causes)
  • Includes statistically generated control limits
Process Capability Ratio
  • Links control charts to customer requirements
  • Relates process variability to tolerance requirements