Quality Improvement tools and techniques have been used extensively for solving problems in organizations. The authors1 of Quality Improvement Is Not Just For Problems: Success and Effect Diagram propose using those same methods to analyze successful processes. Understanding successful processes can give a management team insight on how to improve other processes and constantly improve the organization’s efficiency and effectiveness.
Too often we ignore the successful things that operate in our organizations while we focus on the problems needing immediate attention. By understanding our successful processes we can uncover what is working well and transfer that knowledge to other processes to make them more efficient and effective.
One Quality Improvement tool that can be used to analyze a successful process is a hybrid of the Cause and Effect Diagram. The Cause and Effect Diagram can be turned into a Success and Effect Diagram to analyze successful processes. The Success and Effect Diagram is developed in a similar way to the Cause and Effect Diagram. Instead of using the “5 Why’s” we use the “5 What’s” as our analysis tool.
Success and Effect Diagram Template
To start with, identify headers specific to the successful process you are analyzing. Some suggestions would be to label the four major headers frequently used with a Cause and Effect Diagrams (People, Method, Material, and Machine). Under the four major headers ask “What” made this successful. The “What” question can be used on the sub headers to drill down into the details of the success.
Using Quality Improvement techniques and tools to analyze success gives a new dimension to continuous improvement process. Too often we get so focused on problems that we ignore the successful process that we perform in our organization. By understanding successful processes we uncover what is working well and transfer that knowledge to other processes to make them more efficient and effective. Using Quality Improvement techniques and tools to understand what makes us successful shines a light on the good things an organization does, not just the bad things.
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1Grace L. Duffy, CMQ/OE, CQIA, CLSSMBB is a senior consultant with the Public Health Foundation and an ASQ Fellow and John W. Moran, Ph.D., CMQ/OE, CQIA, CMC , Senior Quality Advisor for the Public Health Foundation, ASQ Fellow, and a Senior Fellow at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.