Number 10 – The Four-System Approach

Develop a closed-loop system for driving improvement to ensure alignment and synchronization of business plans that support the mission/vision/purpose of the organization.

Practitioners: integrative, and strategic

Concept number 10 might be the best way to understand why the four-system approach, SMPL OpEx, leads to the greatest possible outcomes.  Over the course of my learning and application of the tools and techniques of continuous improvement, this idea became more and more apparent, and more and more clear that it was missing.  The key to this might be found in the relationships between the four systems.  If you get the objective of each of the four systems, you can see each of them in this statement.  Let’s dig a little deeper to be sure.

‘Develop a close-loop system’ is encouraging us to place some kind of accountability cycle in motion.  A close-loop system understands the outcome and uses that outcome to evaluate the methods we are conducting to get us there.  The feedback loop allows us to make the necessary adjustments when we discover we are off course. 

‘Driving improvement’ is the easiest element to understand.  Everyone gets the idea of process improvement.  It is a nature characteristic of human beings.  We do not tolerate inefficient and ineffective conditions.  We all naturally work to improve our conditions. 

‘Alignment and synchronization to the mission / vision / purpose’ is an allusion to the strategy system.  The strategy deployment process, part of the strategy system, sets this outcome in motion.  Without the accountability cycle in place, we cannot be assured that we a paying attention to our strategic imperatives, noticing when we are off course, and making the necessary changes to recover our trajectory. 

The Four-System Approach

It’s the relationship between the systems that makes the whole thing work.  Topic 10 is challenging us to see the relationship and to use the four-system approach to our advantage.  If you want your OpEx function to deliver the incredible performance that is possible, do your part to ensure that the close-loop system suggested in topic 10 is both present and healthy in your organization. 

Questions For Your Consideration

How are your improvement activities connected to your organizational objectives?

What is the relationship between strategy deployment and your improvement work?

How does the leadership system show up in this topic?

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