Innovation through process improvement

13th November 2023

Small yet significant improvements can lead to monumental results

Innovation in manufacturing is often focused on improving the products and the manufacturing processes needed to create them. The goal is improved efficiency in manufacturing, which helps you stay ahead of your competitors.

Innovation is critical for all manufacturing businesses

Innovation through process improvement means striving to deliver the best manufacturing operation through optimised and lean production processes, to reduce production cost and improve quality. As well as lower costs, faster production times, and higher profitability, innovation of manufacturing processes can also provide significant additional benefits. For example, it can help identify more sustainable production methods which reduce waste and minimise environmental impact.

A process for managing innovation

The secret to an innovative company is to capitalise on every brain in your business. This can increase autonomy, employee engagement and performance, resulting in higher retention rates. Empowering anyone from those who do the job daily, through to the top level of management, to make suggestions on how a process or activity could be improved. But it's not just about coming up with a great idea, it's about taking that idea and turning it into a reality. You must have a systematic approach for generating, prioritising, evaluating, and validating new ideas, as well as putting them into practice.

"It's important to be patient and make step-by-step changes, have clear KPI's and reward success. I love working in this role, not only solving problems, but seeing the confidence build in people who are limited by their own beliefs.”

Matt Kingston Business Improvement Manager

Small yet significant improvements can lead to monumental results

Everyone is searching for the silver bullet, the one big thing which will make everything easier. However, working on the marginal gains theory 'improving and optimising your processes and performance by a small amount across a number of different areas' is easier to implement, less risk, and leads to much more significant, noticeable improvements overall. Continual process improvement is the consistent and deliberate progress made through a series of small, manageable steps - or marginal gains.

Lean Six Sigma DMAIC Process

The DMAIC model is used for Six Sigma applications in order to improve the quality of results produced by a company's processes. It's a five-phase method—Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control—for improving existing process or trouble shooting problems with unknown causes. DMAIC is based on the Scientific Method and it is pronounced “duh-may-ik.”

Define

The first step is to identify opportunities for improvement or that have the potential to bring value to your company against the project goals. Define the problem, improvement activity, and/or opportunity for improvement. These can come from any audience, so you need to create a vehicle where anyone can suggest process improvements.

The other critical steps at this stage are:

• Identify the opportunities with high potential for improvement
• Outline the scope of the project
• Create a value stream map (VSM) to document every step in the process
• Develop a voice of the customer table (VoC) to pinpoint the customer needs
• Identify all stakeholders
• Estimate project impact and completion
• Identify and document business opportunity
• Draw out other related processes

A successful Define phase helps you move forward with clear, well-defined objectives and timeline for project completion.

Measure

Once the problem opportunity for improvement is well-defined, the next step is to measure the current state of the process using relevant data and metrics. The purpose here is to quantify the extent of the problem, gather baseline data, and identify key performance indicators (KPIs) that will be used to assess progress.

• Develop the data collection methods to be used to measure success
• Recognise input, processes, and output indicators
• Collect and examine current state data
• Outline the failure modes and effects analysis
• Implement process capability analysis

Critical to this phase is developing a robust data collection plan and ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the data being collected. The use of visual management tools such as control charts, bar charts, and run charts etc. can help you achieve better results at this stage.

Analyse

In the analysis phase, the project team examines the collected data to identify patterns, trends, and potential root causes of the problem. Statistical and analytical tools are often employed to delve deeper into the data and determine which factors are contributing to the issues at hand. The purpose is to gain insights into the underlying causes of the problem so that targeted improvement efforts can be devised.

• Performing a complete root cause analysis (RCA), which covers a broad range of techniques and methodologies, including change analysis, events and causal factor analysis, and the Kepner-Tregoe Problem Solving and Decision Making model.
• Doing failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) to identify all possible problem areas, inefficiencies, flaws, defects, and shortcomings.
• Getting a visual representation of the variations within a given process using a multi-vari chart.
• Implementing process control
• Developing a plan for improvement

Once this phase is complete, you’ll be able to capture and document all opportunities for improvement successfully, and your action plan will start taking shape.

Improve

With a clear understanding of the root causes, the improvement phase focuses on developing and implementing solutions to address the identified issues. The purpose is to design and test potential solutions, often using techniques like process redesign, experimentation, and piloting. The goal is to achieve significant improvements in the process performance and to validate that the proposed solutions are effective in addressing the problem.

• Brainstorm and put forward ideas
• Develop a design of experiments (DOE) to determine the expected benefits of a solution
• Revise process maps and plans according to the data collected in the previous stage
• Outline a test solution and plan
• Implement Kaizen events to improve the process
• Inform all stakeholders about the solution

Control

The final phase is about implementing controls to ensure that the improvements are sustained over time and that the process remains stable. This involves developing monitoring systems, setting up performance metrics, and establishing procedures for ongoing measurement and management. The purpose is to prevent a return to the previous state and to make sure that any deviations are quickly identified and corrected.

• Identify and document the new work standard
• Develop a quality control plan which ensures the entire team is working with the same techniques and metrics
• Confirm reduction in failures due to the targeted cause
• Use statistical process control (SPC) to monitor process execution and identify any issues that arise
• Determine additional improvements, if needed, to meet process objectives
• Streamline process improvements using the “Five S’s” of Lean
• Integrate, document, and communicate the lessons learned

After the Control phase, you can quantify the complete impact of process changes in terms of cost reduction, efficiency, quality improvement, productivity increase, and customer satisfaction.

This phase continues until new opportunities for improvements arise, and then, the DMAIC cycle runs from start all over again. Starting a DMAIC process involves time, effort, and discipline, but once your team gets the hang of it, they will become comfortable with the approach.

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