Change is an ever-present element in the business world. What’s new today becomes old news in just a few years, as new developments overtake and outshine them. To keep ahead of the competition means you have to be constantly looking for ways to improve your systems and become more efficient. You can do this with process improvement goals.
In almost every industry, process improvement is an important goal. Whether you’re a marketing agency looking to improve your content quality or a manufacturing company looking for ways to reduce waste, making small changes can have a big impact. The five process improvement goals we propose in this post target the main areas in your business that, if enhanced, can increase your organization’s profitability and reduce costs.
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Improved customer satisfaction.
One of the most important goals for any business is to improve customer satisfaction. Satisfied customers are more likely to return and recommend your business to others, which can lead to increased revenue and market share.
Customer satisfaction process improvement is an activity that is designed to enhance customer service. It involves listening to the customers and understanding their needs and then making updates to the company's products and services. A good starting point to start is by asking for customer feedback, through surveys, focus groups or any other means. With the data collected, you’re able to access what parts of your service require enhancement and develop an action plan to strengthen these weaknesses. Make collecting feedback a company process and constantly build on it as you go. -
Increased efficiency.
There are many reasons to want increased efficiency as a business goal. You might want to save on time and resources or meet tight deadlines. Whatever the reason may be, there are a few simple ways to go about achieving it.
The first step is to take a close look at your current systems. Identify where you are wasting time and energy, and find ways to eliminate those inefficiencies. You might need to make some changes to your workflow or invest in new software or tools.
The second step is to set some SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) goals. Clearly define what your current status is and where you want to go. Examples of efficiency improvement goals include:
- To reduce reported technical issues by X%.
- To decrease the cycle time for product Y from Z days to A days.
- To increase employee task completion by X% in a workweek.
The third step is to track the progress of each of these goals and improve on the activities that can get you closer to achieving them.
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Enhanced quality.
The quality of your products or services is one of the most important factors that contribute to the success of your company. To ensure that your products and services meet the highest standards possible, you need to set a goal to enhance the quality of your output.
One of the most effective methods to improve the quality of your services is to use a quality management system (QMS). A QMS is a system that helps you identify and correct any issues that may affect the quality of your products or services. It also helps you to improve the efficiency of your processes.
To set up a QMS, you need to develop a quality policy, which should be based on the organization's mission and vision statements. The policy should outline the objectives of the QMS, as well as the management structure and responsibilities for implementing and maintaining it. Metrics and measurements are then established to keep track of progress once critical success factors are determined. The results of these measurements will shed light on the defects of your procedures, which can then allow you to take the necessary steps to improve your quality, be it training or adding specialized resources to your team.
It’s important to communicate these results with your team and company leaders to encourage a culture of continuous improvement across your organization.
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Reduced lead time.
Lead time is the amount of time it takes from when a customer requests a product or service to when they receive it. To improve lead time, you need to first understand where it is currently being wasted. There are many areas that can contribute to lead time, such as procurement, engineering, manufacturing and shipping.
Once you have identified the areas where the lead time is being wasted, you can begin to implement process improvement to reduce the amount of time it takes to get a product or service to the customer. Some common ones include reducing the number of steps in a process, eliminating wasted time, automating workflows and completing multiple parallel processes at the same time.
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Improved safety.
Perhaps the most important reason to pursue safety goals is to ensure the well-being of employees, who are the lifeblood of any organization. A safe and healthy workplace is essential for employees to be productive and for the company to be successful. You might think safety protocols only apply in construction sites and not corporate offices, but safety comes in many forms. You may want to establish a system to reduce the workload on a certain department to eliminate burnout and mitigate stress levels. Clear and transparent human resource procedures can safeguard inclusivity, and protect women and minorities from behaviour that threatens their mental and physical safety.
There are other reasons to pursue safety process enhancement as well. Reduced workers' compensation costs and improved product quality are two additional benefits of a safe and healthy workplace. A safe and healthy workplace also enhances the company's public image, which can lead to increased business.
In 2022, process improvement will be more important than ever. If you want to make sure your business is at the forefront of the latest trends, you should set some process improvement goals for yourself. In this blog post, we looked at the top five goals to set in 2022. If you don't know where to get started, book a call with us today and we'll take it from there.
