In the mid-1980s President Ronald Reagan worked with Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev to develop an arms control treaty.

During the negotiations, President Reagan was said to have used an old Russian proverb “Doveryai, no proveryai,” which can be translated as “Trust, but Verify” in English. He learned the quote in the Russian language and used the phrase frequently as he and President Gorbachev worked to prevent the threat of mutually assured destruction if the two superpowers failed to get along during that era. Although President Reagan had assurances from his Soviet counterpart, Reagan also knew that additional confirmation was required to ensure that the terms of the arms treaty were being followed.

While most of us do not deal with international relations, the same principle can be used in our continuous improvement (CI) efforts. Whether one uses DMAIC (define-measure-analyze-improve-control) or PDCA (plan-do-check-act), it is very important that the gains made through the CI improvements can be proven. This can be done in a number of ways, including control charts to show reduced error rates, verification of new (to be) state process maps showing reduced non-value added steps, and validated financial savings. One or more of these methods will allow the CI team to demonstrate the effectiveness of the project and give further proof of the utility of CI.

Validation should be an integrated part of any CI project. The team, along with management and key stakeholders, should agree on a time frame (usually 3-6 months from the completion of the project), to evaluate the projects outcome(s) and any modifications that were necessary during this time.

A strong CI program is built on its successes. A project can only be deemed successful if the gains can be quantified and shared with everyone involved. Tangible results demonstrate a job well done.

How are you helping your employees to work smarter by reducing the amount of time they spend on non-productive activities and correcting errors? If your business processes need a “check-up,” please email me at michael@leadingchangeforgood.com! I’d love to help you get back to a healthy, productive workplace.