CQI 101An Introduction to

Continuous Quality Improvement

Course Objectives

• Describe the basic principles of Continuous Quality Improvement.

• Describe the steps of the Continuous Quality Improvement Cycle for managing high quality programs.

• Explain how to facilitate collaborative processes.

Course Objectives

• Describe how the human side of quality improvement enables the transformation of the organization toward higher standards of excellence.

• Explain how AQIP/Baldrige can support CQI.

CQI and Performance ExcellenceWhat Does It Have to do With You?

Think about a time when you wanted to improve your performance.

What are the motivators for undertaking a new regimen in the quest for excellence? Here are a few of the factors that can aid us in persisting:

• A better quality of life• A higher level of self-esteem• Higher levels of personal mastery• The fear of the status quo

Icebreaker

1. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)2. Bringing Up Baby (1938)3. The Conversation (1974)4. American Grafiti (1973)5. Ben-Hur (1926)6. The Best years of our Lives (1946)7. The Big Sleep (1946)8. Frankenstein (1931)9. Gone With the wind (1939)10. Detour (1946)11. The Great Train robbery (1903)12. How the West Was Won (1962)

Name/College/Film Title

The Operational ContextThe Heart of CQI

Principlesand Values

DecisionMaking For

ProcessImprovement

CollaborationSkills and

Tools

CUSTOMER

KnowledgeManagement

CQI in Higher Education

BehaviorBeliefs

CQI/AQIP

LearningAssessmentAQIP CriteriaLeverageInnovation

Turning Values/Beliefs into Organizational Improvement

CQI in Higher EducationQuality Values

Baldrige Values1. Visionary Leadership2. Learning Centered Education3. Organizational/Personal

Learning4. Valuing Faculty, Staff, and

Partners5. Agility6. Focus on the Future7. Managing for Innovation8. Management by Fact9. Public Responsibility &

Citizenship10. Focus on Results & Creating

Value11. Systems Perspective

AQIP Values1. Focus2. Learning3. Involvement

4. People, Collaboration

5. Agility6. Foresight7. Foresight8. Information9. Integrity

10. Unstated but assumed

11. Unstated but assumed

CQI Principles

• The person doing the work is the expert• “Us” –vs.- “Them” is outmoded and

counterproductive• Leadership needs to partner with all employees to

empower them to make decisions that can improve our quality standards

CQI Principles

• Managers must support their unit strategically and developmentally

• Teamwork—everyone must work for the goal(s) of the unit

• Delivering value is an overarching goal• Working together beats competition• Learning about work is a never-ending process

CQI Principles

• Simple statistical, problem solving and team tools are effective and must be used

• Structured problem solving approach helps to standardize the process

• Focus our energy on fixing processes and systems, not people. People want to do good work.

CQI Principles and Values

• Decisions based on fact

• Customer focus

• Systems Thinking

• Baldrige Criteria

Continuous QualityImprovement—The Context

The Macro Vision Macro refers to the executive level of the institution.

The Micro Vision Micro refers to all of the managers, faculty, and staff.

Student and Stakeholder Focus

External Customer

Internal Customer

Stakeholder

Student As Customer

? ? ?

A Case Study

What are the facts?

Decision Making and Process Improvement

Processes

• Sets of related tasks or activities by which work is accomplished.

Team Problem-Solving Approach —The Shewhart Cycle

ACTWe integrate the lessons

learned from our check orStudy. We adjust ourmethods. We identifywhat more we need to

learn.

PLANWe identify our purposeand goals. We formulate

our theory. We definehow we will measuresuccess. We plan our

activities.

DOWe execute our plan,

undertaking the activities,itroducing the

interventions, applying ourbest knowledge to thepursuit of our desired

purpose and goals.

STUDYWe monitor the outcomes,

testing the theory of ourplan. We study the resultsfor signs of progress andsuccess or unexpected

outcomes. We look forlessons learned orproblems solved.

Design experiment and select measures

Study Results & standardize improve-ments

 ID Root Cause—Why gaps exist & which to close 

Document performance, unpack data & determine what gaps exist 

Check SheetsRun, Trend & Pareto Charts  

2.0 Using Datato Understand our Current Systems

System MapCharter, BrainstormingAffinity Diagram

Flow ParetoControl & Trend Charts Surveys 

1.Develop Team charter, produce systems map

5.Plan pilot of improved process 

3.0 Using Datato Identify OFIS

4. Flowchart improved process, establish measures 

Tree diagramDeploymentFlowchart 

6.Develop project management schedule 

7.Plan the pilot process improvement 

4.0 Using Data to test hypothesis

Check sheetsSurveysFlowchartGantt Chart 

Check SheetsSurveysHistograms Pareto ChartsTrend & RunCharts  

8.Implement the pilot, gather data  

9.Analyze data; evaluatethe results  

ParetoHistogramsForce FieldTrend & RunCharts, Surveys  

10.Draw conclusions. If not improvedreturn to plan.  

Plan

11.Standardize the revised process.  

12.Monitor the process. Look for additional improvements and start over at step 1.  

5.0 Using Data ToEvaluate Hypothesis Testing

Pareto ChartsTrend ChartsSurvey ResultsForce Field.  

Deployment FlowchartCheck sheetsStoryboards  

 Flow-chart Focus GroupControl chartsSystemMap 

3. ID root causes, potential solutions, prioritize and choose project 

Cause& Effect Affinity Force Field Pareto Charts QFD  

 2.Develop flowchart of current process, id problems, measure current process 

We integrate the lessons learned from our pilot and adjust our methods

We monitor the outcomes, testing the validity of our theory and plan. We study the results for signs of progress.

Act

Do

Study

We identify our purpose and goals. We formulate our theory. We define how we will measure success. We plan our activities

We execute our plan undertaking activities, introducing interventions.

 

Process Improvement

Systems Thinking

Seeing

• Cause and effect

• Interrelationships

• Implications

Systems Principles - Systems Thinking

INPUTS PROCESSES OUTPUTS CUSTOMERS

EXTERNAL

INTERNAL

MEASURES OF PERFORMANCETIME; QUANTITY, QUALITY (Accuracy/ Fir for Use); COST; MANNER OF PERFORMANCE

Products&

Services

Critical ProcessNecessary toProduce the

Outputs

METHODS

ENVIRONMENT

PERSONPOWER

FACILITIES&

EQUIPMENTSUPPLIES

A Contemporary Systems View

Selecting Processesto be Improved

Selection Criteria for

Process Improvement

Criterion: (Value = )

Criterion: (Value = )

Criterion: (Value = )

Impact on the above criteriaassign a number as follows:

1 = low impact; 3 = med impact; 5 = high impact; N/A = not applicable

Opportunities to improve process

A.

B.

C.

D

E.

F.

Tallies - in rank order (achieved my multiplying the Value of the criterion by the Impact number.

Idea Value Rank

This process gives the team a view of their consensus

Types of Data and Information That Support the PDSA Cycle

• Key Performance Indicators

• Gaps

• Trends

• Variations

Institutional Vital Signs—Key Performance Indicators

• What are your college’s key functions?

• What are the key indicators of the effectiveness of these functions?

Data and Information

• GAP Data

• Trends Data

• Process Variation Data

Collaboration Skills and Tools

Using the Baldridge Criteriafor Institutional Self-Assessment

The Continuous Quality Improvement Culture

ClosurePost Assessment

In Parting

SCALING THE WALLPEOPLE ARE THE PROBLEM

MANAGEMENT MUSCLES IMPROVEMENT

PEOPLE ARE THE SOLUTION

PROCESSES DRIVE IMPROVEMENT

COGSDATAPOINTS

CONTRI-BUTORS

STAKE-HOLDERS

IMP

RO

VE

ME

NT

BA

RR

IER

Customer Surveys

Assessment Systems

Management by Fact

Planning Processes

Best Practices

Tools and Techniques

Empowered Teams

Aligned Systems

Prevention- Improvement-Based Assessment

Best Systems

Continuous Quality Improvement

BUILDING A HOUSE OF QUALITY

CONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT

CU

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CU

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HIG

H E

XP

EC

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NS

INV

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ME

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SHARED VALUES AND GOALS

TRUST

MANAGEMENT BY FACT

How Can Leaders “Cause” Quality?

• Manage with facts• “Drive out fear”• Follow the Socratic method• Promote the use of comparisons and stretch

goals• Fix processes, not people• Focus on the culture