If you have an idea for improvement or a problem that needs solved, where do you start? The Quality Department can help guide you! On Quality’s iTrust page there is a new button: “Improvement Ideas and Projects.” From there, you can enter your idea or problem.
After submission, a member of the Quality department will reach out to the business area to further define the specific problem and start the documentation process. The idea will be classified as either a Continuous Improvement project or an Innovation project.
Continuous Improvement or Innovation?
The difference between Continuous Improvement and Innovation are the tools used to identify potential solutions for the problem and the amount of change required in the process.
A Continuous Improvement project uses Continuous Improvement tools such as Root Cause Analysis, process mapping and waste identification to eliminate waste and improve an existing process.
An Innovation project changes an existing process or establishes a new process independent of using Continuous Improvement tools.
Continuous Improvement ideas will progress through the CLASS process while Innovation ideas will be handed off to a newly created team called NEXT.
What’s NEXT?
NEXT is an acronym for iNnovation EXcellence Team, which was formed as a result of the strategic planning process in fiscal year 2020. The purpose of NEXT is to help employees not simply improve processes but to entirely change processes through innovative thinking.
For examples of active and completed Continuous Improvement projects and Innovation projects for the current fiscal year, visit the Quality Department’s iTrust page and click on “Improvement Ideas and Projects.”
Continuous Improvement and Innovation are ways that we can support One Company, One Culture by working together across the business. As President & CEO Jeffrey Harrison noted in his 2020 State of the Trust address, it is our responsibility to continuously evaluate our business operations to provide consistent value, quality and the lowest possible rates for our customers.
What business process improvement ideas do you have? What problems would you like help solving? A member of Quality or NEXT can guide you on the path to implementation, assist with documentation and help you celebrate success and quantify benefits.
NEXT Members
Becky Schaefer, Team Lead
John Anderson
Chris Barron
Kevin Hackett
Roger Hanas
Susan Harris
Blaine Komasinski
Jeremy Kosegi
Rich Lefler
Erin O’Leary
Anne Payne
Latasha Stewart
Quality Members
Susan Harris, Director
Tim Gerardot
Erin O’Leary
Staci Lewis
