In today’s economic times, there is increased pressure in most organizations to increase productivity, improve efficiency and cut costs. Some organizations may need to invest time and money to achieve these goals, but many simply need to ensure that they are getting the most out of what is already being invested in continuous quality improvement programs, educational programs, and human resources.

The following simple checklist may provoke a few “no cost” actions to help you get more out of what you already have.

  1. Involve senior management in your continuous improvement program to ensure ownership and effective implementation of change initiatives.
  2. Create standard operating practices that require frequent analysis of results and effective communication to internal and external customers.
  3. Simplify organizational structure and clarify reporting relationships. Complexity can create wasteful bureaucracies.
  4. Shift authority and power from senior managers to mid-level managers.
  5. Elevate your expectations of performance. You get what you expect.
  6. Ensure that educational programs are helping you build specific skills that staff agree they need.
  7. Eliminate meetings that do not yield results.

Discuss these simple basics with your management team and I’m certain you will uncover more than a few opportunities for improvement.