Page 364 - The Handbook for Quality Management a Complete Guide to Operational Excellence

The objectives of the Control/Verify stage include (Keller, 2011a):
• Standardize new procedures/product design elements.
• Continually verify project deliverables.
• Document lessons learned.

Once the process or system has been improved, we set about to con-
trol it so that the improvements are maintained. Without this critical step,
old habits return and the gains are quickly lost. We must standardize on
the new methodologies to sustain the improvements.
The methods discussed in Part II are used to control the process,
including statistical process control as well as work instructions controlled
through a document control system.
Control at the business level may be a matter of “getting the word
out.” Training becomes a key aspect of maintaining the improvements
that were deployed, whether it was a policy change or a new computerized
system for order processing.
Spreading the word at the process level involves changing process
proce dures, specifications, and/or statistical control charting limits. As
with other levels of the organization, these changes require training for
affected person nel. When these personnel understand not just how the
process has changed, but also why, then further improvements may be
found down the road. These aspects of training are discussed later in this
chapter.
As the project team concludes its activities, it is important for project
documentation to be finalized and retained. A key aspect of this is the
documentation of lessons learned: What might you have done differently
to achieve speedier or better results? Would these insights be useful to
other teams in the organization?
Communicating these success stories to other parts of the company
has proven to be an effective way to achieve greater and greater levels of
performance throughout the organization. GE Capital learned from the
aircraft division, and vice versa, as divergent as their businesses were.

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