A workshop-style, self-paced course for IT and service teams that want improvement to be continuous rather than an annual initiative. Six lessons cover the continual improvement model, measuring value and baselines, finding waste in value streams, prioritising and running improvement experiments, managing an improvement register, and building a culture where improvement is part of everyone’s job. Each lesson is built around a hands-on exercise using your own services.
What you will learn
- Apply a seven-step continual improvement model to real problems
- Establish baselines and value measures before changing anything
- Identify the main forms of waste in IT value streams
- Prioritise improvements by value, effort and risk
- Run and evaluate small improvement experiments
- Maintain an improvement register and sustain momentum
Lessons
- The Continual Improvement Model
- Measuring Value and Setting Baselines
- Finding Waste in IT Value Streams
- Prioritising and Running Improvement Experiments
- The Improvement Register
- Building an Improvement Culture
Self-paced course from Tech Skills Library. Educational content only; it is not an accredited qualification, licence or credential.
Lessons
The Continual Improvement Model
Measuring Value and Setting Baselines
You cannot show improvement without a baseline. This lesson covers how to choose measures that reflect value and how to capture the current state before changing anything. From outputs to outcomes Counting outputs, such as tickets closed, is easy but can mislead. Outcome measures reflect value for stakeholders: time for a new starter to become […]
Finding Waste in IT Value Streams
Lean thinking defines waste as any activity that consumes resources without adding value for the consumer. Most IT value streams contain far more waiting than working, and finding the waste is the fastest route to improvement. Common forms of waste in IT Waiting: requests sitting in queues for approval, information or another team. Handoffs: work […]
Prioritising and Running Improvement Experiments
There are always more improvement ideas than capacity. Prioritising well and testing ideas in small experiments delivers more value than large, risky projects. Scoring ideas Score each idea on: Value: expected effect on the KPIs and stakeholders. Effort: people, time and cost needed. Risk: what could go wrong and how reversible it is. Urgency: regulatory […]
The Improvement Register
An improvement register, sometimes called a continual improvement register, is a single list of improvement ideas and their status. It makes improvement visible, avoids duplicated effort and ensures good ideas are not lost. What to record Idea description and the problem it addresses. Who raised it and when. Link to the goal or KPI it […]
Building an Improvement Culture
Tools and models do not sustain improvement on their own. Culture determines whether people raise problems, try new ideas and keep improving after the initial enthusiasm fades. Psychological safety People only report problems and suggest changes when they feel safe to do so. Leaders build safety by thanking people for raising issues, responding to bad […]