Tools and techniques for process improvement

Understanding processes so that they can be improved by means of a systematic approach requires the knowledge of a simple kit of tools or techniques. The effective use of these tools and techniques requires their application by the people who actually work on the processes, and their commitment to this will only be possible if they are assured that management cares about improving quality. Managers must show they are committed by providing the training and implementation support necessary.

The tools and techniques most commonly used in process improvement are:

  • Problem solving methodology, such as DRIVE 
  • Process mapping 
  • Process flowcharting 
  • Force field analysis 
  • Cause & effect diagrams 
  • CEDAC 
  • Brainstorming 
  • Pareto analysis 
  • Statistical process control (SPC) 
  • Control charts
  • Check sheets 
  • Bar charts 
  • Scatter diagrams 
  • Matrix analysis 
  • Dot plot or tally chart 
  • Histograms

This is document about more details for these tools: "Tools and techniques for process improvement"