Sustain Phase
As we go through the Implement Phase there will be lots of actions, mini kaizen activities and main improvement projects being delivered. All of them are critical, all of them are like building blocks which support the overall programme, unless they are superceded by another action, or an evolution of the original idea they must remain in place.
If we allow improvements to slip backwards, or actions to be delivered late or not at all, then the whole programme is called into question. Seeds of doubt are sown in the teams, that "we were right in the beginnning - it is just another initiative".
So to avoid this we need to focus on a number of areas: -
- Performance Management - Info Centres, Measures, Targets, Action Disciplines
- Programme Reviews - Regular reviews at team level and site level to constantly check progress to plan, discuss and resolve issues.
- Sustainability Tracker - a visual dashboard which allows us to track the progress of each of the work streams.
- Process Confirmations - which are the Leader's Standard Operating Procedures (SOP's)
- Route to Lean - Our own audit structure which is used to measure your overall improvement journey.
WARNING: These reviews, dashboards and leader SOP's are key to the long term success and sustainability of your programme, it is these simple disciplines that keep everything going. If as a management team you do not continue following these disciplines gradually the savings you experienced will start to erode.