7. Overview of Process Improvement Methodologies

What Is the Objective of This Chapter?

The objective of this chapter is to introduce the different methods available to solve process improvement problems. We give you a high level overview of the methods and some simple examples. Later in the book we go into more detail about the methods, as well as when to use them and how to use them.

SDSA Cycle

The SDSA cycle is a series of four steps used to standardize a process and reduce variation in process outcomes (Gitlow et al., 2015; Gitlow and Levine, 2004). After forming a project team, determining a process to standardize, and agreeing on a way to measure success, the following steps are executed:

Standardize—Each employee flowcharts the process ...

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