Knowledge Transfer -- A Blogger's Plight | Part II

In continuing our discussion on CPI (Continuous Process Improvement) or better yet Continuous Plainfield Improvement -- as promised -- I am going to provide some models for CPI. But – before we get started let me level set here – CPI is always about Quality Improvement; whether it is a product, a process, a procedure or an entire revamping of an organization, e.g. a school system.

In addition to the basic definition of CPI models, where I thought the concept may be a little fuzzy, I tried to provide examples using our current district's situation and future plans with the hope that it will give you a clear view of how CPI can, will and is being used to move our district forward.

With that in mind let us continue our discussion. Today we will review three of the more popular models of quality improvement.

TQM (Total Quality Management)

This is a management philosophy is aimed at integrating all organization functions (e.g. C&I, HR, Professional Development etc…) to focus on meeting customer needs (e.g. Students, Parents, District personnel, etc…) and organizational objectives (e.g. the 5 Core goals as shared by Dr. Gallon)

The premise behind TQM is that organizations (e.g. PPS, PEP, PTOs, PTAs) must strive to continuously improve processes by incorporating the knowledge and expertise of all stakeholders.

Kaizen

Kaizen is the Japanese word for improvement and its philosophy is based on and focuses on continuous improvement throughout all aspects of life. The overall goals of Kaizen include: elimination of waste (activities that add cost but do not add value – cacophony for our intent and purposes), just in time delivery (books, equipment, training, meeting notices etc…when and where they are needed every time, all the time), standardized and paced work streams (e.g. every school beginning their school day at the same time).

The three core principles that support this quality improvement initiative are Process and Results (tangible and measurable goals), Systemic Thinking (Big picture view – extending PPS's current educational structure to include an academy aimed at advanced course work), and finally and most profoundly – Non-judgemental, Non-blaming dialog that advances the cause of continuous improvement.

Six Sigma

The fundamental objective of this quality improvement model is the implementation of a measurement based strategy that focuses on process improvement ad variation reduction through projects. (Dr. Gallon’s 5-Year Plan is a fine example of this in motion).

Two underlining process that are the core of Six Sigma include:

DMAIC – Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control – this is used primarily on existing processes that fall below specification and aims for incremental improvement. (e.g. our district testing scores)

DMADV – Define, Measure, Analyze, Design and Verify – this process is used for developing new processes at predefined (usually by using Six Sigma stratagem) quality levels.