Do it Better: Thoughts from the June workshop

20th June 2013

I enjoyed this workshop and now need to think about how we can implement continuous improvement. I think most members of our team are good at trying to find more effective processes and there are only a few people who do things because they've always been done that way and are resistant to change. As a team we share ideas about how to work more effectively, how to manage time and caseloads and think we need to keep doing this on a regular basis. There are not enough processes/ policies in place to make sure everyone know what is expected so I will work on these, then we can measure performance based on this.

(Taken from http://sarjeevansainbhi.webs.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=136220067)

In this cycle it is important to move quickly to the next step and not get stuck planning. It is an ongoing cycle for continuous improvement.

We can also use the theory of Kaizen; the Japanese term meaning to 'change gently' which means we should build on changes bit by bit for continuos improvement.

It was also good to think about how a team can be innovative and I like the idea of developing a challenge statement and thinking about what do our customers want more of? There needs to be a benefit to any work we do and there needs to be value in it for somebody who matters! It would be excellent to sit down as a team and brainstorm answers to a challenge statement like "In what ways can we work in mainstream schools?" I know we'd come up with heaps of stuff.

Project reflections: We are up to executing - this is where I need to knuckle down and get that reading done. We're working really well as a group.

I had the opportunity to sit with my manager and a colleague to come up with a project proposal relevant to my role. I found it really difficult to put his into the project proposal format and this is where I left it. I am looking forward to being able to talk through this further with my manager and seeing if we can expand the project.

I think our team is at a stage where we are looking to develop more consistent and more effective processes and it has been useful to think about processes and ways to develop a philosophy of continual improvement.