Some practitioners also associate continuous improvement more closely with techniques of statistical process control.Įxcerpted from " In No Uncertain Terms," Quality Progress.
Continuous improvement: A subset of continual improvement, with a more specific focus on linear, incremental improvement within an existing process.Edwards Deming to refer to general processes of improvement and encompassing "discontinuous" improvements-that is, many different approaches, covering different areas. Continual improvement: A broader term preferred by W.The terms continuous improvement and continual improvement are frequently used interchangeably, but the main difference between the terms is time:Ĭommon Dictionary Definitions of Continual and Continuousīut some quality practitioners make the following distinction: Other widely used methods of continuous improvement, such as Six Sigma, lean, and total quality management, emphasize employee involvement and teamwork, work to measure and systematize processes, and reduce variation, defects, and cycle times. If the change did not work, begin the cycle again. Act: If the change was successful, implement it on a wider scale and continuously assess your results.Check: Use data to analyze the results of the change and determine whether it made a difference.Do: Implement the change on a small scale.Plan: Identify an opportunity and plan for change.The Continuous Process Improvement ModelĪmong the most widely used tools for the continuous improvement model is a four-step quality assurance method-the plan-do-check-act (PDCA) cycle: These efforts can seek "incremental" improvement over time or "breakthrough" improvement all at once. Quality Glossary Definition: Continuous improvementĬontinuous improvement, sometimes called continual improvement, is the ongoing improvement of products, services or processes through incremental and breakthrough improvements.
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