Let’s take a look at an example of continuous improvement practices at the company Atlassian.
Atlassian, a software company that offers products to product managers and development teams, has successfully created and sustained a culture of innovation and continuous improvement. Atlassian achieves this in a few different ways.
Firstly, to drive innovation, employees are given 20% of their allocated work time to spend on personal projects. [1] This is modelled on Google’s innovation strategy, where personal projects often can be transformed into creative new features or products for the organisation. This strategy requires Atlassian to allow their employees the time to work on these personal projects, which is an expensive risk for the company since 20% of employees’ time is given away to experimentation. However, to ensure that this time is used productively, employees focus their personal projects on the team, how it operates, and what they do.
Secondly, Atlassian cultivated a culture of continuous improvement to support innovation. Specifically, Atlassian split their employees into small teams and encouraged them to own their career path by embracing and identifying challenges and strengths. What they found was that successful teams handled challenges differently to other teams, so to help those who struggled, Atlassian implemented a workshopping resource called the Team Playbook. They gathered the practices that successful teams used and created short, purposeful workshops and exercises that enabled teams to learn and adopt these practices. [2]
For example, Atlassion’s Health Monitor [3] helps teams to assess their strengths and weaknesses. Once some weaknesses have been identified, teams and employees can use other plays to strengthen these areas.
Instructions: How do you implement continuous improvement practices?
Taking dedicated work time to innovate and find continuous improvement opportunities can be an expensive cost for an organisation. Considering what you have just learned, complete the following:
- Explain in a brief paragraph:
- How might you go about implementing effective continuous improvement practices?
- What might you do differently to Atlassian?
This is done by making it a culture for everyone. Team members are free to always contribute their ideas.
As a PM, I will first of all create a culture of innovation and change within my team by making them accept it as a way of life and see reason why this must be implemented as it can affect the overall business and products goals. This I will do and inculcate from the initial stage of the product development.
I will also encourage continuous improvement through massive customer feedback at product launch. This feedback will highlight each team’s contribution to the creation of the product. So each team is getting a feed back from the designteam to the functionality to the market awareness etc. what I will do differently from atlassian’s is that I will give incentives to each team by paying them for their extra time to effect change so as to encourage and boost their interest in doing so. I will also encourage ideas and notable changes from my team members by creating a safe environment where everyone’s word matters no matter how small.
Implementing effective continuous improvement practices involves allowing staffs or team members to bring their own idea, staff training, getting feedback from customers and staying updated with the latest trend.
In order to execute successful continuous improvement, I would support a data-driven strategy that encourages experimentation and learning. This would entail:
1. Establishing important goals and metrics Align improvement initiatives with particular corporate goals, monitoring progress and assessing results with data.
2. Empowering teams: Give staff members the instruments and materials they need to spot inefficiencies and suggest fixes. Promote experimentation by using quick prototyping and A/B testing.
3. Promoting openness and feedback: Establish an environment where exchanging thoughts and opinions is valued and taken into consideration. Observe, interview, and survey different stakeholders to get their input on a regular basis.
4. Honouring accomplishments and taking lessons from mistakes: Teams should be rewarded for successful improvements and discussed openly to ensure that mistakes are learned from. Record your learnings and distribute them throughout
Implementing effective continuous improvement practices involves allowing staffs or team members to bring their own idea, staff training, getting feedback from customers and staying updated with the latest trend.
To implement effective continuous improvement practices, a company can start by fostering a culture that values innovation and encourages employees to contribute ideas for improvement. Providing dedicated time, like Atlassian’s 20%, for employees to work on personal projects can be beneficial. Additionally, establishing structured processes, such as regular brainstorming sessions or workshops, can facilitate idea generation and collaboration among teams. It’s also crucial to gather feedback from employees regularly and prioritize improvement initiatives based on their impact and feasibility. To differentiate from Atlassian, one might tailor the approach to fit the specific needs and dynamics of the organization, considering factors such as company size, industry, and existing culture. Additionally, investing in training and development programs focused on continuous improvement methodologies can empower employees to drive meaningful changes within their respective roles and teams.
The best way to implement a continuous improvement culture in a service organisation is to start with yourself.
I learned this in my last job when I worked as an entry level engineer with no authority.
Instead of looking around and finding ways to critique the organisation, I asked myself: ‘What would I do differently if I were given an everything-goes pass?’
I started building systems that would help my colleagues work faster. I did this without getting any compensation.
It took a lot of my time but I saw the improvements within our department within 6 months of implementing the systems I created. We received compliments from our clients.
I then went on to continuously work on projects that made giant leaps in terms of time and cost efficiency.
But the key thing here is this. I never did them alone. Although I started them, I always involved my colleagues. I also tried to give them more ownership by asking for their opinions about how we should execute it and how they think it should be improved.
They were at first hesitant but over time, on seeing their contributions bring value to the team, they began their own projects.
I left this organisation better than I found it. Unfortunately due to some management conflicts I left the company. Though so, I could see that now the culture of improvement was already in place. The entire team became self-sustainable.
What I want to say is this. If you care enough and spend enough time on the things that really matter, then you can really make a difference in your organisation.
Look for areas where you can make an improvement in. Involve your team. Be constructive in your feedback and congratulate them when they do good work.
Here are some key steps to implement continuous improvement:
Define Clear Objectives:
Clearly define the goals and objectives of your organization or specific processes.
Ensure that these objectives align with the overall mission and vision of the organization.
Create a Culture of Continuous Improvement:
Foster a mindset that values learning and improvement at all levels of the organization.
Encourage open communication and feedback, making it safe for employees to share their ideas and suggestions.
Establish Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):
Identify and measure key metrics that align with your objectives.
Regularly review and analyze these KPIs to identify areas for improvement.
Implement Regular Assessments:
Conduct regular assessments of processes, workflows, and systems.
Use tools such as process mapping, value stream mapping, or SWOT analysis to identify bottlenecks and opportunities for improvement.
Encourage Employee Involvement:
Involve employees in the improvement process as they often have valuable insights.
Establish cross-functional teams to tackle specific improvement projects.
firstly, i’ll create a system that is not too complicated and i might as well add survey and forms to monitor customer’s feedback and to allow for both quantitative and qualitative feedback. i’ll also incorporate the art of continuously improving. i’ll also allow my employees enjoy the feeling of suggesting a means of improvement.
the only difference will be to continuously divide the team into cells at random so there will be means for everyone to be carried along. there will be no marginalization.
I will create a system where customers can give feedback and open up more opportunities for my team to share their opinions based on these feedbacks and in general. This will boost their confidence and make them feel like they’re truly part of the process.