Whilst it is important to have methods to generate, capture and process improvements it is also important to determine your top priority. It is typical that you will have multiple improvement activities ongoing at any one point in time.
There is merit in periodically stopping what you are doing and asking yourself this question:
“Should we be focusing all of our energy onto one objective?”
The power of one
It is too easy to spread ourselves thin. We can see all the benefits our improvements offer and we want the results ASAP.
When projects take longer than expected, and more items get added to the list, the list just grows. The input is higher than the output.
Focus can get diffused. Progress gets confusing. Results don’t appear.
Reducing back to one item can bring back the focus. It can help get an item off your list. It can help you to realise benefits. It can make a difference.
What is your number one?
How do you determine the one thing you should be focusing on?
If you have a pressing problem, this might the item to go for.
If you have a deadline related to an improvement, this might the right one.
If you have a list of improvements and there is no obvious priority, but you aren’t getting results, you can apply the BCS approach that I cover in the free CI Primer course.
Not picking is often worse than picking incorrectly.
Focus. Achieve. Relax.
So, if you feel like your improvement list is becoming too much, try the above.
Focus on one improvement and temporarily park the rest. Complete the work, start gaining the benefits and then continue.
You may choose to go back to your full list or a prioritised selection. Or, stay with just one at a time.
The approach doesn’t matter as much as how you feel about the list of improvements. If you feel good about it, and are closing out the improvements at a decent rate the results should follow.
Keep the single focus approach up your sleeves should you start to feel different about your list.
