Continuous Improvement
Definition of Continuous Improvement:
Continuous Improvement is a process of improving quality and efficiency through many small incremental changes. In Kanban, Continuous Improvement refers specifically to the process of improving the flow of work and reducing the cycle time, resulting in an increase in productivity.
Synonymous with continuous improvement:
Kaizen
Use of Continuous Improvement:
Continuous improvement is used to incorporate improvements into the work process on an incremental basis and includes the following steps:
- Identification
- Planning
- Implementation
- Review
Especially in Kanban, there are no fixed deadlines so the team can focus on the work in progress. By having team members tackle problems and think about new ideas together, the process becomes more efficient and streamlined, cycles become shorter, and workflows are improved. In Kanban, teams do not have to be interdisciplinary.
Benefits of Continuous Improvement:
- Improved productivity and delivery.
- More accurate predictions in terms of future work and delivery.
- Lean workflows and less waste.
- Improvements are implemented incrementally.
- Sense of pride and accomplishment among team members is enhanced.