TABLE 2‐1 THE QI PROJECT STEPS CHECKLIST
| Project Steps | |
|---|---|
| Phase | Steps |
| The Right Project | Identify project opportunities (Chapter 3) |
| Assess & confirm project feasibility (Chapter 3) | |
| Write a Problem Statement (Chapter 4) | |
| Create a draft of your Project Charter (Chapter 4) | |
| The Right People | Identify your Primary Sponsor (Chapter 5) |
| Organize a QI team and choose a team leader (Chapter 6) | |
| Complete first tollgate review (chapter 24); Communicate with front line (Chapter 25) | |
| The Right Problem | Set a “kick‐off” date and launch the project |
| Define the scope and boundaries of the project (Chapter 7) | |
| Validate the Voice of the Customer (Chapter 8) | |
| Get the Voice of the Stakeholder (Chapter 9) | |
| Complete the final draft of your project charter | |
| Complete second tollgate review (Chapter 24); communicate with front line (Chapter 25) | |
| The Right Cause | Go see at the “gemba” and create a Process Map (Chapter 10) |
| Quick wins: identify and eliminate “waste” (Chapter 11) | |
| Measure what matters: select key project metrics (Chapter 12) | |
| Plan data collection and collect baseline data (Chapter 13) | |
| Define baseline process performance (Chapters 14–17) | |
| Identify and prioritize the most likely cause (Chapter 18) | |
| Confirm the cause & effect relationship (Chapter 19) | |
| Complete third tollgate review (Chapter 24); Communicate with front line (Chapter 25) | |
| The Right Solution | Develop, filter, and prioritize improvement ideas (Chapter 20) |
| Test the effectiveness of your ideas with a pilot (Chapter 21) | |
| Target and improve flow and work conditions (Chapter 22) | |
| Create an implementation plan (Chapter 23) | |
| Roll out the full‐scale change(s) (Chapter 23) | |
| Create and begin monitoring plan (Chapter 23) | |
| Complete fourth tollgate review (Chapter 24); Project Closure (Chapter 23) | |
THE CHANGE SPACE
A QI project is always a change project. Change rolled out “top down” often fails because it is rarely embraced, and results in doubt, pushback, and even open resistance. To be embraced, change must be socially constructed (Hamel 2016). Successful change requires an engaged front line. Engagement
happens when the front line is given the opportunity to be involved in the improvement process, and;
requires participation in the search for causes and the creation of possible solutions. Quotable quote: “In times of change the learners will inherit the earth, while the knowers will find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.” Eric Hoffer
Frontline professionals must share responsibility for change needs. All successful projects need a change space, or framework, that engages frontline professionals in a shared vision of the problem and the co‐creation of solutions. The role of the improvement team is not to find solutions and implement changes but to create the conditions and provide the tools that enable the front line to find solutions.
REFERENCES
1 1. Awdish R. (2018). Keynote Speaker. Institute for Healthcare Improvement National Forum.
2 2. Bossidy L. (2002). Execution: the discipline of getting things done. Random House.
3 3. Hamel G. (2016). Build a change platform, not a change program. McKinsey & Company.
4 4. Pennington R. (2017). The Pennington Group. www.penningtongroup.com.
