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Continuous Improvement Process (CIP)

Definition, Explanation

Parallel to Japanese Kaizen, in the 1980's, CIP (German KVP) was introduced in Germany. CIP means permanent improving of products- process- and service-quality. The personnel work on improvement independently in their departments and teams, and as far as in their remits. Little improvements count. For making CIP economically advantageous, the process needs to be made a part of every-day business culture. Respectively, suitable framework conditions must be created, like the reservation of working time, education programmes, embedding into procedures and processes and above all the realizing of the new ideas. One important factor of motivation for continuous improvement is public recognition of successful efforts.

CIP feeds on an atmosphere of openness to experience and change prevailing in team work. Thus, especially the attitude of executives is important.

Tips, Checklist

• Use CIP to improve your own workplace, which can also help secure your job
• Be sure once a good idea for improvement comes up, that it is realized
• To recognize successes, count characteristic figures
• Always exchange experiences in CIP with colleagues, employees and executives
• As an executive, you should give your employees enough room for self-responsibility and encourage them to have new ideas and realize them
• Make improvement successes visible with placards on the central bill-boards
• Competition contributes to active CIP
• For the introduction and accompaniment of a CIP it is a beneficial investment to employ a moderator who helps implementing it
• Regard the guidelines of CIP
  • Agree objectives with employees, so that single employees know what their tasks and remits are. Flexible income parts are a way to motivate employees to over-fulfil objectives
  • Executives participate in the tasks using group- and team-meetings and co-produce and support the CIP
  • Welcome the recognizing and pointing out of problems. When problems or a waste of resources are pointed out, this should not lead to looking for people to blame – rather it must be taken as a chance to improve things
  • Work with figures and measurable process magnitudes which can be used to model situations and consequences
  • Manage processes at the interlinks of partial processes and treat the next person in the process as an internal customer. The preceding person is an internal supplier
  • Keep trying for improvement. Orient yourself by Best Practices, that is, processes of competing companies
  • Collaborate with others to see and solve higher-level problems

Last update: 06/17/2010