To institute a continuous improvement program, Hank first needs to meet with his boss and with the other managers/supervisors to have a documented plan to focus on quality. This quality focus needs to be a management philosophy that is first planned, and then acted upon. Hank should then have a meeting with the workers to express the integral part they play in the CI program. Hank can set up meetings where the workers would be asked to suggest ways to improve quality. After the above CI tools are started, Hank can think about training or hiring personnel to be in charge of the CI program he designates. If the workers observe management focusing on quality they will also understand the importance of quality.
Hank should also look at superior companies that the company could benchmark against. Hank should first, identify what processes need improvement, second he should determine which firm is the appropriate leader in performing the process, third he should contact the managers of the company and make a visit to interview the managers and fourth, he should analyze the data by looking for gaps between the companies. By benchmarking his company against others, Hank will have clear goals and standards to strive for.
Once the CI tools are embedded in the company's procedures, the company should look at the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9000 series standards. ISO 9000 certification, is considered a requirement for a company to do business in Europe and other countries. Along with benchmarking, this certification objective will help make Hank's job of quality improvement more focused by providing goals for the workers and for the company to try to achieve.
Hank will encounter some problems when trying to make the continuous improvement program work. There may be some resistance to these quality initiatives. The workers and company will have to change the way they are currently doing things, and change almost always has some conflict. It...