Continual Improvement
I wonder how many of us list this amongst our all-time favourite quotes? There are times not apologising is acceptable! Improvement only comes about through the process of learning. Our knowledge evolves over time. What we knew at one point in our lives will have changed. Why apologise for the
Ackoff
In general, I’m not a huge fan of Toyota cars. I did once own a silver Toyota MR2 Roadster, which was fun to drive, drop the roof during a British Summer, even in the Winter with the heaters on full blast. I actually wish I could have bought a
Leadership
Today’s Readwise highlight happens to synchronise with a discussion I was having with the team today. Not every area for improvement will have measures, but they will need a way of assessing baseline performance ahead of testing change ideas. Can we measure culture? As we know, organisational culture is
Continual Improvement
Today’s Readwise highlight aligns to an area I believe many organisations struggle with. This is the 'Way' Demonstrating one of the foundational pillars of ‘The Toyota Way’ of respecting individuals, especially by supporting genuine development of employees at every level. It is respecting them to apply their
Continual Improvement
I’ve been an avid user of Readwise to sync ebook highlights, review a selection daily and export to Obsidian. For some time, taking one retrieved highlight every day (wish me luck) and being inspired to write a blog article has been on my to-do list. I encourage you to
Quality Improvement
I’m fortunate. Training as an Improvement Advisor (IA) with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement was a privilege. I hold the time learning from inspiring teachers as the beacon in all I do - an enlightenment. More so for my deepening learning and appreciation of Dr. W. Edwards Deming. Creating
Deming
I’ve no idea, either! At 7:31am on 11th August 2025, I received an email with the subject ‘Celebrating 10 Years of Excellence’. First thought: gosh, it has been ten years, hasn’t it? Second thought: how lovely of 'them' to remember. Who has been so thoughtful?
Much data is collected monthly (or even quarterly), since this is the way it has always been done. However, is this of value when we are focusing on improvement? Mandated 2-yearly Patient Safety Culture Surveys Safety is critical, our staff attitudes to safety, the culture, play a significant role in
Deming
Dr. W. Edwards Deming would say by improving quality, value will be increased. This might take a ‘chain reaction’ for value to be realised by both customer and creator. It’s not just about quality of a product or process, but what the customer values. Novelty is Innovation? ‘Continuous Value
Improvement
If you want Quality Improvement, stop the projects and initiatives! The death toll from projects and initiatives What do projects or initiatives have in common? Why do they ring the death toll for quality improvement? Hear in your mind the sound of Metallica's 'For whom the bell
Quality Improvement
Semantics are critical, in the same way Operational Definitions are critical. In fact, they are essentially the same. What are the Operational Definitions of Continual versus Continuous when applied to Improvement. Dr. W. Edwards Deming was clear on this. That’s why it’s important we should reflect this when
Quality Improvement
Improvement for the sake of the tools! It’s very easy to focus on tools, collecting data without reflecting on what the gap in performance or the problem we are trying to solve. Don't start sawing until you've measured twice Every process can be improved, once