Many organizations list continuous improvement (CI) as a priority, but it often fails to take root in day-to-day work. It appears as a workshop or a one-off initiative, then fades without lasting change. If the goal is long-term performance and sustainable growth, CI can’t be incidental or optional. It has to be part of everyday work. Yet many teams struggle to know where they truly stand.

But what if we could measure CI?

To explore that question, 62 teams from different organizations used the CI Pulse model, a maturity assessment tool I developed during my time at Tesla. Although the model was created during my time there, the results shared here are anonymized and aggregated across industries, offering a broad view of how CI maturity appears in real-world operations.

CI Pulse was built on four core design principles:
1) It had to work in fast-paced, impact-driven environments where pausing operations for big rollouts isn’t realistic.
2) It had to support gradual, team-specific adoption rather than one-size-fits-all programs.
3) It had to be led by team leads, the people closest to the work and best positioned to drive real change.
4) It had to answer the question, “Where are we with CI?” because without that, it’s impossible to plan meaningful progress.  

How the CI Pulse model works

CI Pulse is structured around five focus areas that reflect key aspects of CI maturity: Leadership and sponsorship, employee involvement and training, project and process selection, CI mindset and problem-solving, and CI integration and daily operations. See Figure 1 for the maturity levels and an explanation of each.

Figure 1: Focus areas

Each area is rated with a score on a five-level maturity scale, from 1 (initial) to 5 (optimized). See Figure 2 for details on each level.

Figure 2: Maturity levels

The model supports teams in conducting quick self-assessments without external facilitation. Each team rates its CI maturity across these five focus areas. The results are captured in a one-page summary that includes an overall score, scores per area, a radar chart showing strengths and gaps, and suggested next steps. An example of this summary is included later in the article. 

Assessment results

The one-page summary helps teams quickly understand where they stand and what to focus on next. Figure 3 shows the one-page report with the aggregated results across all 62 participating teams. This output is structured into three key sections.

Assessment summary

CI Pulse was created for individual teams to self-assess their CI maturity using whole-number scores from 1 to 5. For the purpose of this article, we’ve aggregated results across 62 teams to identify broader trends. While average scores appear as decimals, maturity levels are interpreted using the model’s threshold scale (20%, 40%, 60%, etc.).

• The overall average maturity score was 2 out of 5, corresponding to 44%, which places most teams in the Developing stage.
• The highest scoring focus area was Project & Process Selection, averaging 3 (60%), indicating that teams generally know what to improve.
• The lowest scoring area was Employee Involvement & Training at 2, which rounds to 40%, highlighting limited investment in capability building and empowerment.

Assessment breakdown

This section shows the results for each focus area, including score, target, maturity level, and a visual progress indicator. The radar chart illustrates how maturity is spread across the five focus areas. Here we see the scores for the three remaining areas; the first two were already shown in the summary above.

• Leadership & Sponsorship averaged 2 (40%), reflecting moderate consistency in leader behavior.
• CI Mindset & Problem-Solving scored 2 (40%), showing a lack of standardized problem-solving.
• CI Integration & Daily Operations also scored 2 (40%), indicating CI is still treated as an occasional activity, not part of daily work.

Next steps and recommendations

CI works best when it’s woven into everyday work, not treated as a side project. Each maturity level in the model offers practical, flexible tips that fit where a team is on their journey. Early on, it’s about building awareness and structure. Later, it’s about taking ownership and driving results. They’re not hard rules, just guidance that teams can shape to fit their own context.

Here are two examples from the aggregated results across the 62 teams.

Leadership and sponsorship: Set one or two CI-related goals that match team priorities, like reducing rework or improving response times. Encourage leaders to highlight progress in regular updates.

Example: The team adds “Reduce rework by 10%” to their quarterly OKRs and shares quick CI wins during weekly meetings.

CI mindset and problem-solving: Help teams differentiate symptoms from root causes and treat failed fixes as learning moments. Add a quick validation step to check whether fixes actually worked.

Example: The team uses a flipchart to break down problems with a “Problem—Root Cause—Action—Outcome” format and shares lessons from fixes that didn’t stick.

Figure 3: Aggregated results

How teams rated the CI Pulse experience

After completing the assessment, teams were invited to respond to a survey to evaluate the tool’s relevance and usefulness in their context. The results revealed both confirmation and deeper challenges.

• 75% of respondents said their teams needed stronger CI skills, matching the low score in Employee Involvement & Training. This points to a gap in both confidence and capability, underlining the need for targeted training and support.
• 95% of respondents found the model’s categories clear and relevant, suggesting it resonates across different teams and industries.
• 85% said they would continue using the tool to track progress over time, highlighting its potential for long-term effect and integration into team routines.

Beyond the numbers, the assessment uncovered a deeper pattern: CI is still treated as something extra, not part of the way work gets done. Many managers want to lead it but lack the structure to do so, while teams are eager to improve but need clearer direction. These findings offer a strong starting point for more focused, meaningful action.

This initiative showed that continuous improvement can be introduced in a way that’s practical, leader-led, and aligned with business realities. CI Pulse provided the structure to make that possible, helping teams reflect, prioritize, and grow with minimal overhead and maximum relevance. It doesn’t scale through posters or mandates, but through clarity at every level. That’s what CI Pulse offered: a mirror to see where they stand and a map to guide their next steps.

Why the name ‘CI Pulse’?

The name captures what the tool does: It takes the pulse of CI efforts. CI Pulse helps teams check whether improvement is alive, consistent, and part of daily work. It acts as both a health check and a compass, showing where things stand and where to focus next.

More information on the CI Pulse model is available on my website.