The Road to Continuous Improvement

The Road to Continuous Improvement by Robin Tidd

Those in the accountancy profession frequently assume that sustainability is the ultimate aim, whereas in industry there are many who say the aim is to build a great culture and improve continuously. The parallel in life is longevity versus quality of life. You could say that: culture + strategy = sustainability. Culture is the magic ingredient here, in that building a great culture and giving it the remit to “improve continuously, everywhere, and never stop” will produce Continuous Improvement.

The Road to Continuous Improvement is never straightforward, and this course takes an in-depth look at the problems and roadblocks you are likely to encounter along the way, and gives you ideas about how you can overcome them.

The Road to Continuous Improvement is part of our peer-enriched learning suite of learning. Peer-enriched learning courses stimulate intelligent dialogue and debate and provide a valuable and evolving resource of professional knowledge and experience. These courses are topical, practical and highly relevant to today’s changing market. Each module is split into two activities: Understanding the issues and Putting it into practice. The first encourages learners to think about a topic, drawing on their own professional experience and knowledge. The second helps learners to put ideas and/or theories into practice as part of their day-to-day work.

• Correctly define and understand Continuous Improvement and the theory behind it
• Recognise the tools available to help with Continuous Development
• Understand the root and causes of failures when implementing Continuous Improvement schemes
• Know how to effectively tackle any issues and problems which occur

Background and history
• History of Continuous Improvement
• Why did it happen the way it did?
• Where are we now?
• What are the traits of Continuous Improvement?
• What outcomes are we aiming for?

An overview of the roadway towards Continuous Improvement
• The outcomes
• The probable journey
• Necessary mechanisms
• Milestones along the way
• Theories of motivation
• The Theory of constraint
• Waste

Road maps and roadblocks
• Culture and attitudes
• Road maps
• Road blocks
• How can you recognise a potential roadblock
• What happens when you hit a roadblock

How to get past the roadblocks
• Putting these issues in perspective
• Knowledge about the whole process
• Constancy and long-term commitment
• Organisational behaviour
• Behaviours and attitudes
• Training and improvement workshops
• The end of the journey

This course is designed for finance professionals who are looking at ways in which to encourage improvement at work.

Robin Tidd, MBA, FCMA, MCIM, is an experienced management consultant. He has developed significant knowledge over the past 27 years working with organisations, and driving their success via a down-to-earth, practical approach. He was Chair of CIMA Members in Practice 2000-2005 and is a member of CIMA’s council.