U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Advisory Committee on Organ Transplantation
Recommendations to the Secretary
FOCUS-PDCA PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT PROCESS
This is the
heart of any Performance Improvement (PI) process. Each letter represents
a piece of the PI puzzle. When all the pieces are put together,
positive results usually occur. The following will take you through
this process.
Find
an opportunity to improve. In this stage you identify a
process to be improved. For example, you have identified a process
may not be effective. Ask yourself if the current process is tied
to the hospital's mission and priorities? Question the productivity
of the process. Ask yourself if it can be improved and who will
benefit from improvement. Now you are ready for O.
Organize
a team who understands the process. Here, you gather a
team of employees who are closest to, or have ownership in the process.
They are the one's on the "front lines" and really know
if something is working or not.
Clarifying
the current knowledge of the process is the next step.
In this stage, you are gathering the "who, what, when, and
where" information you need in examining the issue chosen.
Understanding
the cause of process variation. Here, you ask yourself
the "why" question. In other words, now you know the process
by clarifying the elements, why isn't it working effectively.
You
are at the halfway mark in the process. Now it gets fun.
Select
the process improvement. The team selects the most appropriate
solution keeping in mind the cost and difficulty of implementation.
Again, your selection is based on successfully completing the two
previous steps. Rushing to selection will not improve the outcomes,
so before you select an intervention, make sure you have done the
groundwork.
Plan
the improvement. This next step involves deciding how the
improvement will be made. Action plans are developed for how the
process will be implemented within the targeted area. A plan for
data collection to monitor the effects of the change is also addressed
at this stage.
You
are now ready to implement the change.
Doing
the improvement is the next step. Here, the focus is on
collection of baseline data and information that will determine
how the process performs prior to, and following any improvement
efforts. In this stage, monitor the process closely. Are there any
surprises? If so, why did they occur, and what can the team do about
it?
Checking
the results is the next to last step. Here, you are evaluating
to see if the process changes were actually implemented as planned.
The team monitors the effects of the change, and most importantly,
a comparison of predicated results versus actual changes are analyzed.
If results are not as the team hoped, a review of the prior steps
are in order. If everything checks out, you have successfully modified
or changed a existing process for the better, and are at the last
step.
Act
to hold the gain. Here, the team creates a strategy for
holding improvements and working toward further improvements.
These simple
steps are to be part of every PI team here at SVMC. Following the
process is crucial in order to have a successful team, as well as
not wasting the time of the folks who are involved. Good luck, and
let the process begin!
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