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Beyond Wishes and Hopes

Why operational definitions are needed

For process improvement, there are three questions you can ask to get your ducks in a row. Photo by Luisa Frassier on Unsplash

Donald J. Wheeler
Wed, 10/16/2024 - 12:03
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Body

All improvement efforts require a framework. No matter what we’re doing, we all need some way to align our efforts and focus on a specific objective. During my 50 years in this business, I’ve seen people use many different improvement frameworks. Most of these have been variations on either PDSA (plan, do, study, act) or DMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve, control).

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This column will reveal the three fundamental questions that form the basis for all of these frameworks. Answer these three questions and you’ll have a road map for success. The many different improvement approaches simply dress up these three questions with different details. These details often obscure the fact that there’s a simple, proven approach to process improvement.

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Comments

Submitted by Patrick Giuliano (not verified) on Mon, 10/21/2024 - 10:58

What, Why and How

These three are also the WHAT, WHY, and HOW. 

1. Is the What which is the aim, the objective.

2. Is the Why which is the detailing, or the precise articulation of the "target state". 

3. Is the How which is the procedure. For maintaining and reporting the "current state," in relation to the "target state" (which is born from the objective). 

Thank you for sharing the "Operational Definition" Dr Wheeler. This is the secret sauce not just for a process behavior chart (eg as a manufacturing system) but also for a "human system" behavior chart, drawn out in the course of one's own life.

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