Continuous improvement is an ever-repeating cycle that allows a company or an individual to identify forms of waste in the process and eliminate it. By finding and resolving the issue the company or individual can move to the next step in the process. There are different methods to continuous improvement from asking the 5Y’s, to PCDA and DMAIC. Each one of these techniques needs to best fit the goal that is to be achieved. Sustainability is direct result of finding and eliminating wastes in processes. The issue occurs when companies feel they discovered and eliminated all the wastes that occur and fail to sustain improvement. Companies like Motorola and 3M “has to loosen its sigma methodology in order to increase the flow of innovation” (Ashkenas, 2012). Companies that fail to find savings in sustainability are not modifying their continuous improvement plans to meet the currents conditions.
Ashkenas, Ron. (2012, May 8). Its time to rethink Continuous Improvement. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2012/05/its-time-to-rethink-contin…