Educational Resources

​​​Improvement Methodologies

Most improvement methodologies utilized across state agencies follow the same core steps, except 5S, which focuses on workspace organization. Rather than focusing on a specific methodology, the priority should be solving problems to enhance state government services. When planning your project, consult your Agency CI Contact (needs link) and choose the approach that best fits your needs.

Common Steps for Improvement Initiatives:

  1. Identifying a problem
  2. Collecting 'before' data
  3. Determining root causes
  4. Implementing solutions
  5. Collecting 'after' data

See the figure on the right for a comparison of common methodologies.



Term
Definition

5S

A procedure for creating and maintaining an organized, clean, and high-performance workplace. The five S's are: Sort, Straighten, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain.

5x5 

A high-level summary of a project using five PowerPoint slides presented in five minutes. This presentation usually occurs after a project has been completed and its results have been measured.

A3

An approach to documenting work during a Lean project, putting all relevant information on one page. The term ‘A3’ refers to the size of the paper that is typically used when the information is printed out. 

CI

This acronym stands for continuous improvement. In the State of Wisconsin, we use this term to describe any effort that saves time, reduces frustration, or cuts unnecessary costs. 

DMAIC

This acronym stands for Design, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control. This methodology is currently the most popular approach in the industry, but its basic steps are the same as any Lean project. 

Kaizen

Japanese for 'change for the better'. Kaizen events follow the same steps as all other Lean projects but often occur in a single week. This term is used interchangeably with 'Rapid Improvement Event'. 

Lean

Lean focuses on eliminating waste in a process. 

PDCA/PDSA

These acronyms stand for Plan-Do-Check-Act and Plan-Do-Study-Act, respectively. This methodology is most common in the healthcare field, but it follows the same basic steps as any improvement project. 

QI

This acronym stands for quality improvement. This term is synonymous with continuous improvement. Like continuous improvement, quality improvement efforts are focused on saving time, reducing frustration, and cutting unnecessary costs. 

RIE

This acronym stands for Rapid Improvement Event and is synonymous with the term ‘Kaizen’. Rapid Improvement Events are Lean projects that occur in a shortened timeframe. 

Six Sigma

A statistical approach to continuous improvement that focuses primarily on reducing variation and defects. While this approach is common in manufacturing settings, it’s often difficult to apply in the government and is usually not needed. 

VSM

This acronym stands for Value Stream Mapping, which is an improvement approach that focuses primarily on process mapping and collecting data for each process step. It follows the same basic steps as all other methodologies.


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