Discover the 8 steps of Practical Process Improvement – PPI

Practical Process Improvement PPI is a methodology that preaches an intuitive and practical way to improve processes in a company through the involvement of all employees of the organization in an engaging way.

It is considered simple so much so, that many say that it can be implemented in the company without any need for outside consultants or interference from professionals outside of your business.

The method consists of 8 steps that must all be followed. However, before that, some pre-steps should be taken:

 

Practical Process Improvement PPI, initial steps:

• Divide the employees into teams, each with a specific goal that refers to some significant problem with the company.
• Ideally, teams have 5 to 7 people and a facilitator.
• The managers of the company should determine what are the priority projects of the company and delegate them to formed teams.
• Employees need to be trained in the PPI method.
• Training of PPI lasts five days, full-time, or can be distributed over a few weeks.

The primary objective of Practical Process Improvement PPI methodology is to make organizations solve their problems in a practical and objective way, using the resources that the company already has at its disposal.

The 8 steps of Practical Process Improvement PPI

Step 1 PPI: Mission Statement

• Identify the problem
• Set limits
• Develop metrics
• Identify stakeholders
• Fix objectives

Step 2 PPI: Current Process

• History
• Flowchart
• Determine the key steps of the process
• Collect data

Step 3 PPI: Simplify the Process

• Look for obvious waste and problems
• Remove all waste and exposed problems

Step 4 of the PPI: Analyze Data

• Identify the possible causes
• Use improvement tools
• Check the data

Step 5 of the PPI: Finding Solutions

• Evaluate solutions with data
• Identify stakeholders
• Identify barriers
• Develop a plan

Step 6 of the PPI: Test Solutions

• Conduct a PDCA test: Plan, Do, Check, Act.
• Study results
• Take the necessary actions

Step 7 PPI: Standardization

• Describe the new process
• Develop a plan
• Make sure that all actions have been completed

Step 8 PPI: Plans

• Establish a list of unresolved items
• Decide the next activities and team involvement

After completing step 8, the method of Practical Process Improvement PPI suggests that you resume step 1, creating a cycle of continuous improvement that will always lead to better processes and results.

 

Differences between Practical Process Improvement PPI and other programs

According to its creator, Ed Zunick Practical Process Improvement PPI presents several advantages over other improvement programs:

• The purpose of PPI is to increase revenues and reduce costs through continuous improvement.
• The result is a development of improvements that brings profitable growth, this is the focus: make the company more profitable.
• Innovation, creativity and a search for new solutions play a key role in the Practical Process Improvement PPI methodology.
• Quality levels or technical ‘team building‘ are not part of PPI’s goals. The goal materializes to win customer loyalty, with the involvement of everyone in the company and without measuring efforts.
• The involvement of the company’s members as a whole aims to generate gains in all steps of the value chain so that each contributes to the increase in revenues and decrease in costs by optimizing an integrated company.
• One of the PPI secrets is its simplicity, using methods and tools at the same powerful and intuitive time, leading to great results.
• Neither external consultants, experts, the Quality Department or the ‘bigwigs’ of the top hierarchy of the company will be responsible for improvements and productivity gains: the company as a whole will be involved in creating great ideas and even better solutions.

 

How does Practical Process Improvement PPI achieve results?

There are three fundamental aspects:

Integrated management at all levels:

Senior, middle and junior managers must work together, combining experience with new blood (and new ideas!). All have important roles and tasks to fulfill to be developed in harmony with each team whose goals are always clear: to increase the company’s profitability.

Focus on customer loyalty:

Valuing loyalty in an environment with a lot of trusts. Improving process efficiency is not the goal, but a means to build customer loyalty!

Optimize the company’s operations:

Not only the production but all processes involved throughout the value chain. And that, of course, can include suppliers, service providers, government agencies and even customers.

In short, Practical Process Improvement PPI is almost a philosophy that is based on the involvement of everyone in the company, without exception, in the search for profitability for the business and customer loyalty through a cyclic method of 8 steps.

See as well:

• Lean Process definition and uses – everything you need to know
• What is workflow engine?
• Mapping processes? Avoid 5 Common Mistakes