Once an Improvement Opportunity has been received, it is added to our Quality Improvement Process, which comprises four steps designed to improve the quality of a service, an area or a process.
This ongoing process can be followed once or iterated to achieve improvements.
Step 1. Plan - investigate the solution
To plan a solution:
The area in need of change is identified
Review and interpret relevant information around the area for change
Define the processes that relate to the area identified for change
Document the goals and objectives of the change.
This may involve:
Understanding how the change could affect related processes
Knowing how long the change will take to implement
Understanding what will happen if there are unexpected problems.
Step 2. Do - implement the solution
Carry out the change as planned. Be sure to document the implementation activities.
Step 3. Check - monitor and review
To monitor and review the change:
Monitor the progress of the change—is it improving the process as intended?
Record observations and results (both planned and unexpected) and compare with original goals, measures and objectives
Review the results—what was achieved? What was learned?
This is iterative throughout the improvement cycle.
Step 4. Act - revise and plan
Conduct a Quarterly Review of the solution to determine what we have learned from the change. Review the change. Should we revert? Retry the change cycle?
What did the information collected tell you about the change? Was it effective?
What can be done to improve or refine the change?
What lessons have you learned? Can these be applied elsewhere? How can these lessons be communicated?
This cycle can be restarted if the planned improvements are not as hoped.
