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Careers in Manufacturing

5 Continuous Improvement Best Practices for Successful Organizations

Successful organizations recognize that there are essential best practices of high-performing organizations. These foundational elements create alignment, drive accountability, and foster long-term resilience.

Kim Humphrey

President and CEO, Association for Manufacturing Excellence

1. Set clear, tangible, and transparent vision and values through visual management 

Successful organizations clearly define roles, responsibilities, and performance effectively throughout the organization. Visual management is a key component of lean and operational excellence, and it’s especially powerful in making vision and values clear, tangible, and transparent across an organization. Visual management is a powerful tool not just for clarity, but also for driving behaviors that support performance, accountability, and culture. Making everything transparent through visual management promotes consistent habits, provides immediate feedback loops, improves accountability, reinforces positive behaviors, reduces ambiguity, builds confidence, encourages continuous improvement, and even ensures safety and compliance. 

2. Establish standard work

Successful organizations implement standard work with the understanding that consistency drives excellence. Documented, repeatable processes serve as the foundation for operational success and continuous improvement. Standard work establishes a baseline using the best-known method for performing a task, incorporating key elements such as cycle times, quality standards, required tools, and performance metrics. This structured approach enables teams to consistently enhance efficiency, quality, and overall performance.

3. Have a solid foundation of accountability and ownership

Successful organizations set performance expectations to ensure everyone is accountable for results and improvement. High-performing organizations value every team member, empowering individuals to contribute ideas, solve problems, and take ownership of their work. Leaders create a cultural environment in which people can realize their gifts, develop and apply their talents, and feel a genuine sense of fulfillment for their contributions in pursuit of a common purpose. Leaders also build strong relationships and have ongoing, positive interaction with team members that lays the foundation for open communication. Trust is earned through consistency, approachability, and active listening. 

4. Maintain an unwavering customer focus backed by data-driven decisions

Successful organizations focus on the customer and rely on data to drive decisions. Continuous improvement efforts are aligned with delivering greater value to the customer, internal and external alike. World-class organizations use accurate, real-time data to measure performance, identify gaps, and guide continuous improvement initiatives.

5. Utilize the 5S methodology to build a foundation of organization and efficiency

High-performing organizations leverage lean tools like 5S to establish a strong foundation of organization and efficiency. The 5S methodology — Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain — is built on the core principle of maintaining order. Each phase emphasizes structure, discipline, and meticulous attention to detail. Without ongoing commitment to these practices, the system’s effectiveness quickly diminishes.

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