Continous Improvement techniques

An incisive case study of changemaking in action, Stuck Improving offers a clear-eyed accounting of school-improvement practices, including data-driven instructional approaches, teacher cultural competency, and inquiry-based leadership strategies.

Irby brings readers into a large suburban high school as school leaders strive to redress racial inequities among the school’s increasingly diverse student population. Over a five-year period, he witnesses both progress and setbacks in the leaders’ attempts to provide an educational environment that is intellectually, socioemotionally, and culturally affirming.

Looking beyond this single school, Irby pinpoints the factors that are essential to the work of equity reform in education. He argues that lasting transformation relies most urgently on the cultivation of organizational conditions that render structural racism impossible to preserve. This timely work contributes both to the practical efforts of equity-minded school leaders and to a deeper understanding of what the work of racial equity improvement truly entails.

The present paper shows the application of a methodology based on Process Management for the establishment of gaps, opportunities, and improvement plans, which lead to increase the performance of processes and implementation of the Quality Management System under Rule ISO 9001, the Regional Centre for Research and Enterprise Development and an Institution of Higher Education, enabling him to align with the objectives and institutional goals and improve the quality of services provided by this interface structure dedicated to the management of the Research and Innovation

It was taken as study unit, the Advisory Macroprocess, which is one of the three key processes of the CIDERC, and whose activities include: the accompaniment to the investigation groups in the presentation of technical proposals, topics related with the investigation, the innovation, the organization and the promotion and diffusion of political and aids for the development of investigation projects and scientist - technological cooperation.   

The study presents, in first instance a theoretical, methodological component and referencial in which the project is sustained. It is presented an analytic component then in the one which, with base in the data and gathered information and in the focus of Administration for Processes, it was obtained:   The Characterization of Advisory Macroprocess.  The Evaluation of this process that includes the identification of the problems and the rising of solutions, by means of Improvement Plans.

This case study focuses on important production processes within an aluminium extrusion plant and their focus to automate their production shop floor using PLC automation and optimizing the production process by eliminating scrap and re work. Various aspects such as logistics, pre and post production processes, supporting departments etc are studied and their impact have been studied in this report..

Women are at the heart of most societies. Regardless of whether they are working or not, mothers are very influential people in children's lives. Educating girls is one of the most important investments that any country can make in its own future. Educating a girl is one of the best investments her family, community, and country can make. We know that a good quality education can be life-changing for girls, boys, young women, and men, helping them develop to their full potential and putting them on a path for success in their life. India is famous as a great country of many cultures, traditions, religions and geographical characteristics. Traditionally, women have been compelled to play the second fiddle in every sphere, be it in family or public life. Such in order of things in India in spite of the fact that women nowadays, are no less proficient than men in any field. In the case Kerala women, the same as the above. But today, women are not what they used to be some years ago; they have now made their presence felt in every sphere of life. Women have ultimately discarded their homely image and are now making meaningful contribution to the progress of the nation. The present paper makes an attempt to highlight how it contradicts as in the state of Kerala which has created a congenial atmosphere for the emergence of women empowerment and development of women entrepreneurship through Kudumbashree. 'Kudumbashree', which mean prosperity (shree)' of the family (Kudumbam) is the name of the women oriented, community based, State Poverty Eradication Mission of Government of Kerala. Kerala is a tiny state lying in the southwest part of Indian peninsula, where many development experiments are being tested, refined and implemented. The mission aims at the empowerment of women, through forming self-help groups and encouraging their entrepreneurial or other wide range of activities. The purpose of the mission is to ensure that the women should no longer remain as passive recipients of public assistance, but active leaders in women involved development initiatives.

Purpose – Recent operations management research suggests that adopting and implementing the right practices are essential to attaining “world-class” performance. The purpose of this paper is to report the leading operations management practices and the strategy deployment framework that emerged from a qualitative study that addressed the question of how managers implement strategy in an organisational excellence environment.
Design/methodology/approach – Group work with managers responsible for implementing strategic initiatives was followed by case studies of seven organisations via in-depth semi-structured interviews. A survey questionnaire strengthened the validity of the constructs of strategy deployment that were identified in the case analyses.
Findings – In total, seven strategy deployment constructs were identified and linkages between them are described. The 50 leading deployment practices indicate a mix of hard and soft management skills applied across the seven constructs.
Practical implications – The leading deployment practices have the potential to raise the performance of organisations by improving the implementation of strategic initiatives. The framework is relevant to the deployment of both corporate and business unit strategy such as manufacturing or operations, and should be of interest to managers in these areas.
Originality/value – Researchers have noted for more than a decade that no generally accepted framework of operations management practices has emerged for strategy implementation. Most strategy studies have focused on strategy formulation, content, or on project/programme management. There have been few multiple case studies of leading strategy deployment practices in diverse organisations from both private and public sectors.

This is an era of quality management and quality is a parameter for the selection of a product or service because the customer wants a defects free product or service. Six Sigma is a quality improvement approach that aims to reduce the number of defects up to 3.4 parts per million. In the last three decades, it helped several companies to enhance the capability of their processes and to increase the level of quality of their product or service. This case study based research deals with application of DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control) methodology of Six Sigma to reduce the machine downtime for process improvement. The tools and techniques used during the analysis are Process Mapping (SIPOC Diagram), Process Flow Chart, Process Capability Analysis, Histogram, Pareto Chart, Pie Chart, Cause and Effect Diagram, Brainstorming, Affinity Diagram and ANOVA. The results of this study show that sigma value has improved from 2.79 Sigma to 2.85 Sigma. This study also highlighted the five critical problems (reasons) of Downtime, which are i.e. Electricity Problem, Shortage of Material, Quality Issues, Machine Fault and Reactive Maintenance. The valuable principles and practices of Six Sigma will do well by continuously refining the organizational culture. Time and commitment both are required and compulsory to bring change in cultural before they are strongly implanted into the organization. I do assure that this research study will provide opportunities to the organizations for the better implementation of six sigma projects.

Challenges and problems, are the part of any business and organizations daily operations and activities. But, the way to deal with those problems and challenges, makes difference in delivering good and quality services. In this study, it has been found that problems and challenges are the major obstacles for the IT (Information Technology) Service Delivery to the customers as well as to the end-users. It is vital to manage, address and handle those problems and challenges in a fashion manner. Therefore, in this study the main objective is to understand which techniques and/or tools to be used and where, when to be used as well as how to be used. And we have conclude that, IT Service Delivery plays a major role for the organization performance and/or business operations, in order to provide quality and reliable services as well as to hold a competitiveness market share. However, different techniques, tools and approaches as identified, shall be applied in relation to the nature of the problem and/or challenge, as well as with the time factor. Many techniques and tools can be used, but the most effective and flexible techniques are the Root Cause Analysis, Problem Oriented/Solving Research, Trail And Error, Brainstorming and the Application of RPR (Rapid Problem Resolution) Technique.

INTRODUCTION
Quality improvement (QI) methods have
been introduced to healthcare to support
the delivery of care that is safe, timely,
effective, efficient, equitable and cost
effective. Of the many QI tools and
methods, the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA)
cycle is one of the few that focuses on
the crux of change, the translation of
ideas and intentions into action. As such,
the PDSA cycle and the concept of iterative
tests of change are central to many
QI approaches, including the model for
improvement,1 lean,2 six sigma3 and total
quality management.4

PDSA provides a structured experimental
learning approach to testing changes.
Previously, concerns have been raised
regarding the fidelity of application of
PDSA method, which may undermine
learning efforts,5 the complexity of its
use in practice5 6 and as to the appropriateness
of the PDSA method to address
the significant challenges of healthcare
improvement.7

This article presents our reflections on
the full potential of using PDSA in
healthcare, but in doing so we explore
the inherent complexity and multiple
challenges of executing PDSA well.
Ultimately, we argue that the problem
with PDSA is the oversimplification of
the method as it has been translated into
healthcare and the failure to invest in a
rigorous and tailored application of the
approach.

The author suggests that mine seismology can continue to provide solutions and shed the image of a pseudo-science that generates incomprehensible results that cost millions in research money to produce. We, as a group of specialised geo-scientists, and the industry as a whole need to address and improve on the following:
- STANDARDISE AND SIMPLIFY TERMINOLOGY for basic mine seismology
- ENSURE RELEVANCE of research initiatives
- IMPLEMENT research results where appropriate
- UTILISE the existing seismic data bases
- FURTHER CO-OPERATION between neighbouring mines
- STANDARDISE data formats
- INTEGRATE the knowledge and experience of disciplines
Similarly, the agencies awarding research projects should place emphasis on the applicability of the results and use funding to rather test and implement research findings than to finance the writing of unwieldy project reports that remain mostly unread by the industry. This money-for-paper approach has proven wasteful in the past and needs to be replaced by a strong peer-review component that should be integrated into the project work.

During the past decades we have been observing a permanent increase in image data, leading to huge repositories.[1]. This paper focuses on image compression and storage. We define methods to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of image compression. Image compression refers to represent an image with as few bits as possible while preserving the level of quality and intelligibility required for a particular application. The present work aims to develop an efficient algorithm for compression and storage of two-tone image. In this paper, an efficient coding technique is proposed and termed as line- skipping coding for two-tone image. The technique exploits 2-D correlation present in the image. This new algorithm is devised to reduce fifty to seventy five percentage of memory storage.

FACULDADE DE ENGENHARIA DA UNIVERSIDADE DO PORTO

Nowadays there is a huge need for quality in software as our lives may depend on it. The Personal Software Process (PSP) and the Team Software Process (TSP) are process improvement frameworks tailored to produce virtually defect free software and deliver it on time. Although these are great frameworks they need tool support to work efficiently and without proper tool support the amount of data produced by even relatively small projects is overwhelming. It is a fact that there are today a great number of tools to provide this support to PSP and TSP, some of them are semi-automated and require little effort by the developer. But they still lack automation in a very important part of the process, the data analysis. This is where the improvement actions are concluded from and it requires that the person doing this has a great deal of experience in PSP and TSP to reach to this improvement actions and conclusions just by looking at graphs and sheets (if using semi-automated data analysis tools). The result of this dissertation is a working prototype that does just that, automates the data analysis part and provides improvement actions even to the most inexperienced PSP user. Through an extensive research on several performance indicators, a performance model was made based on the Time Estimation Error performance indicator (PI). It is represented in a tree-like diagram and it shows the relationships (what affects what and how) between the PIs. By using this model it should be possible to determine the source of the problem and suggest improvement actions based on that. The model was applied in a tool created for this purpose called PSP PAIR. It uses as a basis a database with data from PSP projects and following the performance model, after calculating the value of each indicator, it shows a set of suggested improvement actions based on that. The PSP PAIR could provide a really good support to engineers using the PSP in their projects and help them speed up the analysis, by automating it, of all the data they collect.

Background: Rates of retention in care of HIV-positive pregnant women in care programs in Nigeria remain generally poor with rates around 40% reported for specific programs. Poor quality of services in health facilities and long waiting times are among the critical factors militating against retention of these women in care. The aim of the interventions in this study is to assess whether a continuous quality improvement intervention using a Breakthrough Series approach in local district hospitals and primary health care clinics will lead to improved retention of HIV-positive women and mothers. Methods/Design: A cluster randomized controlled trial with 32 health facilities randomized to receive a continuous quality improvement/ Breakthrough Series intervention or not. The care protocol for HIV-infected pregnant women and mothers is the same in all sites. The quality improvement intervention started 4 months before enrollment of individual HIV-infected pregnant women and initially focused on reducing waiting times for women and also ensuring that antiretroviral drugs are dispensed on the same day as clinic attendance. The primary outcome measure is retention of HIV-positive mothers in care at 6 months postpartum. Discussion: Results of this trial will inform whether quality improvement interventions are an effective means of improving retention in prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV programs and will also guide where health system interventions should focus to improve the quality of care for HIV-positive women. This will benefit policymakers and program managers as they seek to improve retention rates in HIV care programs.

Learning never ends. Becoming a good teacher takes time and continuously involves learning. A teacher must keep up-to-date with what education system is adventuring through. Nowadays, students are refering social media as the pivotal source for reaping information and aquire knowledge.This paper studies how the services provided by the social media are helpful for teachers and students in education sector.This paper also tries to explain the impact of social media on younger minds and also describes how it can promote continuous learning of the teacher.The sample for this study comprises of teaching faculty from various disciplines in higher education.

¿Que tenemos que hacer para crear una cultura de excelencia operacional? ¿Cuánto tiempo y que proceso usted debe realizar para cada departamento/área realice sus propias mejoras continuamente? ¿Se requiere que venga una directriz de arriba a hacia abajo? ¿Pueden los empleados hacer un "lean takeover" y "hackear" la gerencia para instalar una cultura de mejoramiento continuo en la empresa?

Metadata is the lifeblood of publishing in the digital age and the key to discovery. Metadata is a continuum of standards and a process of information flow; creating and disseminating metadata involves both art and science. This article examines publishing-industry best practices for metadata construction and management, process improvement steps, practical applications for publishers and authors such as keywords, metadata challenges concerning e-books, and the frontiers of the expanding metadata universe. Metadata permeates and enables all aspects of publishing, from information creation and production to marketing and dissemination. It is essential for publishers, authors, and all others involved in the publishing industry to understand the metadata ecosystem in order to maximize the resources that contribute to a title’s presence, popularity, and sale-ability. Metadata and the associated processes to use it are evolving, becoming more interconnected and social, enabling linkages between a broad network of objects and resources.
Open access at JEP: http://dx.doi.org/10.3998/3336451.0018.305

About Improve Your Business (IYB)
Improve Your Business (IYB) is a management training programme for owners and managers of small enterprises who want to sustain their businesses, increase sales and reduce costs. It addresses the core
question of how to improve the performance of your business.
IYB originates from a programme developed by the Swedish Employer’s Confederation for local small and medium entrepreneurs. Later, the methods and materials were adapted by the ILO to meet the needs of
people running small businesses in developing countries.
The IYB training programme is supported by a set of six manuals (marketing, costing, buying and stock control, record keeping, planning for your business, and people and productivity). These manuals can be
taught individually or all combined in a full course. If the full course using all the manuals is delivered, the duration is approximately seven days. The IYB training uses an active, problem-centred learning approach
to small business management through, for example, short cases and graphic illustrations.
The IYB People and Productivity manual explains how entrepreneurs can increase the business productivity by following better recruitment procedures, adequately motiving and rewarding their employees, and
maintaining good relations with their suppliers and the community in which they operate.

Authors and acknowledgements
The IYB People and Productivity manual is a result of a collective effort and reflects the experience and knowledge gathered by implementing the programme for nearly three decades. In particular, the contributions
of SIYB Master Trainers and Trainers who have tested, designed and implemented the programme in different countries over the years have been invaluable. There are many colleagues from the network of SIYB practitioners, consulting firms and in the ILO, whose experience, support and constructive suggestions made the publication of this training manual possible.
This manual is based on the materials originally developed in 2003 by the ILO SIYB Regional Project Office in Harare, Zimbabwe, where it was written by Ejvind Mogensen and Robert Zegers.
The author team of the 2015 version, which revised the existing text and wrote new chapters to include recent thinking in enterprise development and related fields comprises Phan Minh Tue, Eva Majurin and Pranati
Mehtha. Stylistic and language editing were carried out by Steve Raymond.
Many thanks are due to SIYB senior Master Trainers Dissou Zomahoun, Gemunu Wijesena, Sibongile Sibanda and Walter Verhoeve for the review of the draft manuscript and suggestions based on their training experience.
A special thanks to the ILO colleagues- Marek Harsdorff from the Green Jobs Programme of the Enterprises Department; Jurgen Menze and Esteban Tromel from the Gender, Equality and Diversity Branch; Julia Faldt
from the HIV and AIDS and the World of Work Branch, Kristen Sobeck and Patrick Belser from the Inclusive Labour Markets, Labour Relations and Working Conditions Branch, for their contribution to the content of
the manual. Short contributions, advice and assistance on integrating linkages to finance in the manual were received from Cheryl Frankiewicz and Severine Deboos (Technical Expert in the Social Finance Unit of ILO’s
Enterprises Department).
The internal layout and illustrations were carried out by Nguyen Quang Dzung and the cover design was developed by Maurizio Costanza.
The review efforts and technical contributions of the SIYB Global Coordination Team members who provided invaluable support to the development and finalization of the manual is greatly appreciated: Merten Sievers (Specialist – Value Chain Development and Business Development Services), Eva Majurin (SIYB Global Coordinator) and Thokozile Newman.

With institutions having to make a rapid transition to online delivery, Covid-19 has left an indelible mark on the educational landscape. Understandably, some are concerned about how the quality of teaching and learning is being assured, along with supporting teachers to adapt and thrive in this new environment. How can this be done remotely?

‘Unseen observation’ is an innovative method that is increasingly being embraced by a growing number of colleges and schools, with practitioners acknowledging its positive impact on attitudes to observation and reporting significant improvements in their critical reflection on their professional practice, subsequently feeding into improvements in their teaching and their students’ learning.

Analyzing contemporary experiments in homiletical and liturgical improvisation shows fresh and exciting potential for more participation in worship. The use of Free Jazz as a paradigm for liturgical and homiletical practice is complimented by the model of Theatrical Improvisation. By rendering empirical improvisations in liturgy and preaching as interactions, a grid of participatory improvisational strategies is generated that can be usefully employed for the analysis and improvement of other pastoral practices such as pastoral care or ministerial training.

This study aimed at determining Infrastructure Leakage Index (ILI) supported by Geographic Information System (GIS) to facilitate strategy determination, map problems, and determine potential revenue for actions to solve leakage realistically, effectively and efficiently. Economic analysis was carried out to determine investment feasibility of corrective actions for leakage of clean water network infrastructure. More importantly, variables in this study were obtained from literature review. Primary and secondary data were then collected and analyzed statistically, and other economic analysis tools were also used. This study used a quantitative method with a population of 11 (eleven) service zones involving 35 leaders, executors and staff of leakage team. All populations of service zone were taken as research sample, while for leakage team, sample was taken using Slovin formula which obtained 32 respondents. Questionnaires were distributed to find the main affecting factors using AHP...

Analyzing contemporary experiments in homiletical and liturgical im-provisation shows fresh and exciting potential for more participation in worship.The use of Free Jazz as a paradigm for liturgical and homiletical practice is com-plimented by the model of Theatrical Improvisation. By rendering empirical im-provisations in liturgy and preaching as interactions, a grid of participatory im-provisational strategies is generated that can be usefully employed for the ana-lysis and improvement of other pastoral practices such as pastoral care orministerial training.

After Action Reports and Improvement Plans (AAR/IP) have included the exact same lessons learned for hundreds of disasters and thousands of exercises. They’re lessons observed and mistakes repeated again and again. This is the decade we switch the narrative.

This study aimed at determining Infrastructure Leakage Index (ILI) supported by Geographic Information System (GIS) to facilitate strategy determination, map problems, and determine potential revenue for actions to solve leakage realistically, effectively and efficiently. Economic analysis was carried out to determine investment feasibility of corrective actions for leakage of clean water network infrastructure. More importantly, variables in this study were obtained from literature review. Primary and secondary data were then collected and analyzed statistically, and other economic analysis tools were also used. This study used a quantitative method with a population of 11 (eleven) service zones involving 35 leaders, executors and staff of leakage team. All populations of service zone were taken as research sample, while for leakage team, sample was taken using Slovin formula which obtained 32 respondents. Questionnaires were distributed to find the main affecting factors using AHP...

The 25th AHRD annual conference will include leading scholars and senior-level practitioners reporting their cutting-edge research and theorizing. The program will be comprised of blind, peer-reviewed submissions that offer a diverse range of topics, perspectives, and research paradigms. In addition, the conference will include several types of non-refereed sessions that provide excellent opportunities for bringing together conference participants to engage in generative learning through both formal and informal interactions about topics of mutual interest. AHRD is an inclusive organization and invites all those who are interested in the field, no matter where they are on their scholarly journey.