Have You Considered a Pilot Program Approach to Improvement?

There are times when a “pilot” program might be an ideal approach to making work or process improvements within an organization, as this tactic offers a number of short-term advantages without stressing resources or compromising long-term opportunities.

For example, an organization with limited financial or people resources might find a pilot program an ideal way to achieve some measurable results quickly without putting a heavy burden on the budget or on human capital. Similarly, an organization that has been down the “Continuous Improvement (CI) road” before but failed to achieve sustainable results might be more comfortable committing to the smaller scope of a pilot program versus an enterprise-wide improvement initiative.

Typically, once some initial success is experienced, decisions on how (or if) to proceed become easier. The recommended steps for a successful pilot improvement program are:

1. Assessment
2. Quantification & Prioritization – decide what to work on
3. Launch the project
4. Provide coaching and training for the project team
5. Communicate and celebrate success
6. Decide on whether to proceed further with Continuous Improvement (CI). If so, develop an implementation plan