This document provides an overview of continuous improvement (CI), which is a tool for creating standard work processes, achieving operational excellence, better serving customers, and increasing competitiveness. CI focuses on customers, empowers employees, provides tools and resources, helps prioritize opportunities, finds solutions based on root causes, builds sustainable results, uses a structured process, and allows leveraging successes across an organization. The guide details the vision for CI and defines key terms to help speed improvement and measure progress.

1. This
Reference
Guide
explains
the
common
language
of
Continuous
Improvement
(CI),
a
tool
for
creating
standard
work,
achieving
operational
excellence,
serving
our
customers
better
and
becoming
more
competitive.
CI
creates
a
system
for
operational
excellence
because
it:
•
Focuses
on
our
customers
•
Empowers
our
employees
•
Provides
tools
and
resources
•
Helps
prioritize
opportunities
•
Finds
solutions
based
on
root
causes
•
Builds
sustainable
results
•
Uses
a
structured
and
disciplined
process
•
Offers
the
ability
to
leverage
success
across
the
organization
and
accelerate
improvement
This
CI
Reference
Guide
details
the
vision
companies
that
want
to
be
successful.
It
defines
key
CI
terms
and
explains
tools
that
speed
the
improvement
process
and
help
measure
needs
as
well
as
progress.
Use
it
to
focus
department
resources
in
ways
that
elate
customers,
streamline
processes
and
improve
performance.
If
you
can
make
CI
a
way
of
life
and
help
those
who
work
with
you
do
the
same,
you
can
unleash
the
power
of
the
process.
The
rewards
are
a
delighted
customer,
reduced
waste,
fewer
variations
in
our
processes
and
a
sense
of
pride
in
a
job
well
done.