Are you overwhelmed with all the areas of your business that need to be worked on at the same time? Where do you start and end each day? Do you have a feeling you will never be finished with improvement?
Dave Kastelic, Business Execution Specialist (BES) at Results provided us with some insight on the frequent conversations he has with his clients on the topic of continuous improvement.
What are your experiences in driving continuous improvement?
10 years ago, as a former client of Results, I was leading the integration of 9 companies post business acquisition into a large Oil and Gas Service company. My leadership team was overwhelmed with all the areas of our business that needed to be worked on and improved at the same time.
The key to our successful integration process was the ability of our team to prioritize and focus on key execution priorities. In narrowing our focus, building a solid execution plan, and then building a cycle of continuous improvement, Results helped us achieve a great result in a short period of time.
Now, in my current role as a BES at Results, many of my clients are gaining traction and experiencing more focused execution by following the same disciplined execution process. Some clients are even moving to the next level of continuous improvement where it becomes part of their everyday business culture.
How has this focus on continuous improvement been beneficial for your clients?
I often have clients comment that they are surprised at how impactful working with Results has been on business process improvement. In breaking the process down into workable steps and driving improvements, my clients have simplified their execution and have driven improved performance. It is the ongoing attention to driving continuous improvement that will have the biggest impact on their business going forward.
What challenges do your clients face in driving continuous improvement?
The challenge for most businesses is a lack of focus on driving process improvement. Often companies get tied up in routine operations rather then taking a step back and analyzing where they can improve.
In addition to this, organizations must have a strong foundational culture with core values that are lived by all employees. The entire team must be open to change and embrace improvement even when the execution becomes difficult. It is this lack of full employee engagement that is often is the biggest obstacle to driving improvement.
What are the steps to driving continuous improvement?
There are 4 key steps to implementing a strong continuous improvement process:
- Plan – Build a focused execution plan complete with detailed action steps, who will be responsible for each step, and a timeline for completion
- Action – execute the plan by following the action plan step by step in accordance with the timeline
- Measure Results – record your successes and challenges as you execute the plan
- Capture the Learnings – document any learnings and modify future execution plans to incorporate the learnings into best practices
What additional reading would you recommend?
A great article on driving Continuous Improvement in small and positive steps:
How 1% Performance Improvements Led to Olympic Gold
Dave Kastelic, Business Execution Specialist
Results Canada Inc.
Dave Kastelic, CPA, CMA, ICD.D is a Business Execution Specialist (BES), Results Canada Inc. As a BES, Dave uses his extensive executive leadership and director experience to help business owners transform their business potential into extraordinary results. With over 25 years of private and public company experience, Dave understands how to drive continuous improvement as companies successfully execute and grow their businesses.
