Overview

In the Improve phase, the team has validated the causes of the problems in the process and is ready to generate a list of solutions for consideration. They will answer the question "What needs to be done?" As the team moves into this phase, the emphasis goes from analytical to creative. To create a major difference in the outputs, a new way to handle the inputs must be considered. When the team has decided on a solution to present to management, the team must also consider the cost/benefit analysis of the solutions as well as the best way to sell their ideas to others in the business.

The deliverables from the Improve phase are:

• Proposed solution(s)

• Cost/benefit analysis

• Presentation to management

• Pilot plan

In this chapter, these deliverables are discussed as well as other tools and considerations to be successful in this phase.

The first task in the Improve phase is to develop ideas for improving the process. The traditional method for developing improvement ideas is to use conventional brainstorming. The next section presents alternative ways to generate creative ideas in a team.

Generating Solutions

If asked, "Where are you most creative or innovative?" most people would not answer "In the conference room where our team normally meets." And yet, when it comes to the point in the project where the team must generate new ideas and new ways to run the process, the team leader generally schedules a meeting in...