BNET Business Dictionary
Business Definition for: Continuous Improvement
- the seeking of small improvements in processes and products, with the objective of increasing quality and reducing waste. Continuous improvement is one of the tools that underpin the philosophies of total quality management and lean production. Through constant study and revision of processes, a better product can result at reduced cost. Kaizen has become a foundation for many continuous improvement strategies, and for many employees it is synonymous with continuous improvement.
Additional Resources
- Not Every Change Is Continuous Improvement
- This paper has two main sections: the first section presents an examination of characteristics of change and of continuous improvement. It provides a theoretical underpinning for the continuous improvement utilised at CQU. The CQU model for continuous improvement, "Business Process Improvement Model" has been developed taking into account contemporary business...
- White papers 2005-02-05
- Achieving Continuous Improvement in Complex Supply Chains Today
- Remember continuous improvement? A decade or so ago, it was all the rage. Companies were rushing to embrace the concept under a trendy Japanese term, kaizen. Continuous-improvement techniques were applied with some success to manufacturing, as part of the quality craze. The term has faded from management playbooks. The very...
- White papers 2006-04-01
- Corporate Audit Committees: An Approach to Continuous Improvement
- Audit committees today are faced with the sizable task of overseeing both the auditing and financial reporting processes. The final rules of the SEC, national stock exchanges, and the AICPA's Auditing Standards Board cover corporate governance of audit committees, including independence, qualifications, charters, external auditor involvement, and reports. It remains...
- White papers 2002-07-01
- Strategic Control And Continuous Improvement
- Organizational strategy is the roadmap towards attainment of the long-term goals and objectives of an organization. Strategic control involves tracking the strategy, as it is implemented, and detecting and fixing errors, if any. Such an approach leads to the implementation of the philosophy of ‘continuous improvement' in the organization....
- Presentations 2003-01-01
- Continuous improvement technology market to double.(ARC Advisory Group)(Brief article)
- The demand for continuous improvement systems is expected to double in the next four years from 2005 figures as manufacturers look to enhance their lean programs, according to a survey conducted by analyst firm ARC Advisory Group. The demand for continuous improvement systems...
- Research articles 2007-01-01
- Lista International Corporation: storage solution plays role in Toyota's drive for continuous improvement. (2002 Technology Trends).
- Kaizen is a Japanese term that means "continuous improvement." More than just a catch phrase, Kaizen is a tangible process that has helped Toyota become one of the world's premier automobile companies. It is a corporate-wide operating philo Kaizen is a Japanese term that means "continuous...
- Research articles 2002-09-15
- Storage system keeping Toyota on the road to 'continuous improvement'. (Storage Solutions).(welding)
- Staying organized in a welding shop with more than 40,000 parts can be quite a challenge. With Lista International's help, Toyota Motor Mfg. Kentucky has beat the odds while maintaining its company-wide mantra, 'continuous improvement.' The Shelf Con Staying organized in a welding shop with more...
- Research articles 2003-05-01
- Creating a system for continuous improvement - improving an organization's decision-making process
- When people speak of continuous improvement, they are really talking about continuous change. To have continuous change, there has to be some factor that binds people together. There must be a common purpose, and each member must understand his or her role. It is like a jigsaw puzzle in which...
- Research articles 1995-01-01
- How to carry out a Continuous Improvement project
- This article is about ways to carry out a Continuous Improvement project. A generic approach is described in this article which should suit most situations. No projects are the same and so the approach should be tailored to fit the job. It also includes various steps that how these ways...
- White papers 1998-03-14
- QS-9000 Drives Continuous Improvement for Chemical Distributors
- QS-9000 is not only challenging to implement and register to, it also poses an ongoing challenge, in that continuous improvement is a key requirement. It's not enough to manage inventory effectively or process orders efficiently, a QS-9000 company also must continually seek out ways of improving those processes. For this...
- White papers 2003-01-01
- Hoshin Planning: A System For Planning and Implementing Continuous Improvement
- Hoshin Planning is one of the titles commonly used in the Western world to describe Hoshin Kanri. This is a system of planning and deployment which evolved in Japan from Management by Objectives MBO. One way of understanding Hoshin Planning is to picture a typical well implemented Management By Objectives...
- White papers 2003-01-01
- Rediscovering Continuous Improvement
- From the executive summary: ‘In the rush to meet the challenges and exploit the opportunities of e-business, continuous improvement is in danger of being overlooked or dismissed as inappropriate to the new business paradigm. Innovation is fundamental to success in the e-enabled world as it provides early users with a...
- White papers 2003-01-01
- Total Quality Management And Continuous Improvement
- Total Quality Management TQM is a tool used for controlling quality aspect in the organization. This approach calls for continuously examining quality of organizational systems rather than making it a one-time activity. TQM focuses on improving customer satisfaction through better quality products and services. It works on the philosophy of...
- Presentations 2003-01-01
- Part II: Creating The Infrastructure For Managing Continuous Improvement
- From the executive summary: 'Employees with strong achievement needs do not guarantee an achieving organization. The people must be supported by a human resource infrastructure that links individual achievement needs to the goals of the organization. The Participation, Achievement, and Reward PAR project is concerned with the creation of an...
- White papers 2003-01-01
- Engineering Clean Air: The Continuous Improvement of Diesel Engine Emission Performance
- The diesel industry has made great progress on a path of continuous improvement to virtually eliminate the key pollutants associated with on-road diesel engines. This transformation is of critical importance, because diesel plays a central role in economic activity. This paper explains the inherent performance advantages of diesel; provides an...
- White papers 2001-03-01
- U.S. Air Force joins Council for Continuous Improvement; CCI to provide curriculum and networking
- SAN JOSE, Calif.--BUSINESS WIRE--March 29, 1995--The U.S. Air Force has joined the Council for Continuous Improvement CCI to make further progress implementing Quality Air Force and improving mission effectiveness.
- Research articles 1995-03-29
- HighJump Software Leads the Industry in Supply Chain Execution, Product Innovation and Continuous Improvement
- EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- HighJump Software, a 3M company, the global leader in providing highly adaptable, best-of-breed supply chain execution SCE solutions, announced unparalleled success with its next-generation supply chain applications today at ProMat 2005. With enhancements to its industry-leading Supply Chain Advantage suite, HighJump now empowers customers to take...
- Research articles 2005-01-11
- Continuous Improvement: Achieving Lean Production and the new ISO Certificate
- Continuous Improvement: Achieving Lean Production and the new ISO Certificate, by Wayne Scott Ross Published by Management Books, 2003 ISBN 1-85252-427-8 Price: £14.99
- Research articles 2006-10-01
- Kyocera America, Inc. Creates Department of Continuous Improvement
- SAN DIEGO -- Kyocera America, Inc. announced today the creation of a Department of Continuous Improvement. This department will consist of Kyocera America's trained and dedicated "Black Belt" Specialists in Lean Six Sigma tools.
- Research articles 2006-05-04
- United exits bankruptcy as a strong competitor committed to continuous improvement; New UAL Corporation shares to begin trading on NASDAQ on Feb. 2.
- M2 PRESSWIRE-2 February 2006-UNITED AIRLINES: United exits bankruptcy as a strong competitor committed to continuous improvement; New UAL Corporation shares to begin trading on NASDAQ on Feb. 2C1994-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD RDATE:01022006 CHICAGO - UAL Corporation [NASDAQ: UAUA], the holding company...
- Research articles 2006-02-02
