What do you do if your food manufacturing company is not achieving high performance?

2 Identify the root causes

The next step is to identify the root causes of your performance gaps and determine the factors that influence them. You can use problem-solving techniques such as the 5 Whys, fishbone diagrams, or Pareto charts to drill down to the underlying issues and prioritize them based on their impact and urgency. You can also use SWOT analysis to identify your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in relation to your performance goals. You should involve your team members and other relevant parties in this process to gain their insights and perspectives.

3 Develop improvement plans

The third step is to develop improvement plans to address the root causes and close the performance gaps. You can use SMART goals to set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound objectives for your improvement initiatives. You can also use action plans to outline the tasks, responsibilities, resources, and timelines for implementing your improvement activities. You should align your improvement plans with your strategic vision and mission and communicate them clearly and effectively to your team and other stakeholders.

5 Review and refine improvement processes

The final step is to review and refine your improvement processes and identify the lessons learned and best practices. You can use PDCA cycles (plan-do-check-act) to continuously review your performance data and feedback and adjust your improvement plans and actions accordingly. You can also use Kaizen events or Six Sigma methodologies to implement systematic and data-driven improvement processes that aim for excellence and eliminate waste and variation. You should also recognize and reward your team for their improvement efforts and celebrate their achievements.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?