FICCI outlines steps for continuous improvement including employing a consistent organization-wide approach, making continual improvement an objective for individuals, establishing goals and measures, and providing training. Guidelines include finding strengths and weaknesses through assessment, keeping regular PDCA cycles, making it a team effort, building partnerships, setting priorities, working with enthusiasts, achieving small successes, and providing resources. The document focuses on addressing high priority issues like customer relationships, employees, processes, and measurements. Setbacks may occur due to lack of management support, goals, complacency, incorrect assessment, or prioritization.

1. FICCI
C
on
tin
uo
us
im
pr
ov
em
en
t
CE

2. FICCI CE
Continuous
improvement
The ongoing improvement of
products, services or processes
through incremental and
breakthrough improvements

3. FICCI CE
Steps to continuous improvement
According to ISO, the application of this
principle involves:-
I. Employing a consistent organization-
wide approach to continual improvement
of the organization’s performance.
II. Making continual improvement of
products, processes and systems an
objective for every individual in the
organization.

4. FICCI CE
Steps to continuous improvement…contd.
III. Establishing goals to guide, and
measures to track, continual
improvement.
IV. Providing people with training in the
methods and tools of continual
improvement.
V. Recognizing and acknowledging
improvements.

5. FICCI CE
Guidelines for institutionalizing continuous improvement
• Find out your strengths and weaknesses
through an organizational assessment.
Focus on weak areas. ( You must have
done this in the preceding section )
• Keep doing regular PDCAs ( Plan Do
Check Act ).
• Make continuous improvement process a
team effort and ensure that everyone
involved has the opportunity to take
ownership of the process.

6. FICCI CE
Guidelines for institutionalizing continuous improvement
• It is critical to build partnerships
with key customers, suppliers and
stakeholders for effective and better
results.
• Instead of focussing your attention
on too many issues, it is important to
set priorities and focus on vital few
issues.

7. FICCI CE
Guidelines...
• To get early results, it is good to work
with enthusiasts and those who are fully
supportive of the continuous improvement
process.
• Strive for some small tangible early
successes and make the most of these
through recognition and publicity.

8. FICCI CE
Guidelines...
• Make sure to provide the relevant
information and resources to every one
who needs them for continuous
improvement.
• Celebrate achievements and make it fun.

9. FICCI CE
Focus on top priority issues
The initial assessment will help you to
determine the priorities based upon the
current status of the organization. Your plan
should address only those high priority issues
which you can tackle now with the time and
resources available. All the other
unimportant improvement activities can be
set aside to enable your efforts to be focused
on vital few.

10. FICCI CE
Top priority issues
• Customer relationship and focus
• Employee relationships and involvement
• Process improvement
• Information systems
• Measurement and tracking
• Awareness raising and education
• Supplier relationships
• Creation of support infrastructure

11. FICCI CE
Dealing with setbacks and failures
Whenever the continuous improvement
process has failed or falls much short of
the targets, it is often due to something
very important missing from your plan. It
could be due to the following reasons :-
• Lack of top management involvement and
support
• Lack of tangible goals
• Complacency due to past success
• Incorrect assessment
• Lack of prioritization
• Non application of tools