What are the best ways to encourage a culture of continuous improvement?

Continuous improvement is a key principle of systems engineering, which aims to design, develop, and deliver complex systems that meet the needs and expectations of stakeholders. However, achieving continuous improvement requires more than just applying tools and techniques. It also depends on creating and maintaining a culture that supports learning, experimentation, feedback, and adaptation. In this article, you will learn about some of the best ways to encourage a culture of continuous improvement in your systems engineering projects and organizations.

1 Define and communicate the vision

The first step to foster a culture of continuous improvement is to define and communicate a clear and compelling vision for the system you are engineering. The vision should describe the purpose, value, and benefits of the system, as well as the desired outcomes and performance indicators. The vision should also align with the strategic goals and values of the organization and the stakeholders. By defining and communicating the vision, you can inspire and motivate your team and stakeholders to share a common direction and commitment to improve the system.

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Rogério Comello Machado

Systems Engineer (MSc) | CSEP | PMP | CPRE-AL | CMRP | Electrical Engineer | MBA PM | PSM I | Lt Cdr (Engineering Corps)
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Undoubtedly, the concept of “vision” is very important for setting up aspirations, but it applies to the organizations, not to their produced/utilized systems.

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Marco Agüero

👉 Follow for SRE & DevOps l Director of SRE @ Zeta Global 🛠️
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Communication itself and the creation of a vision doesn't mean anything if your people don't find purpose in what they do. I think that in alignment with the strategy we must engage everybody in a way that will show them the value of their work in the overall system, what is the value, what is the reason behind the work. Then the vision becomes clear and strategy can be executed!

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2 Involve and empower the team and stakeholders

The second step to promote a culture of continuous improvement is to involve and empower the team and stakeholders in the systems engineering process. The team and stakeholders should have a voice and a choice in defining the requirements, designing the solutions, testing the prototypes, and evaluating the results. They should also have the authority and autonomy to make decisions, solve problems, and implement changes. By involving and empowering the team and stakeholders, you can leverage their knowledge, skills, and perspectives, as well as increase their ownership and engagement in improving the system.

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John Fuller BSc (Hons) IEng MIMechE

Senior Aerosystems Engineering Officer for the Royal Air Force
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The team need to be given the autonomy and freedom to think and act as they see fit. As a leader you just need to provide support and top cover to help them overcome ‘their’ obstacles. Don’t create more for them and don’t be a blocker. Leadership is about providing the freedom for your team to do what they do best. Let them do it. It’s not all about you 😉

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Marco Agüero

👉 Follow for SRE & DevOps l Director of SRE @ Zeta Global 🛠️
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Involvement is key, in one of my previous contributions here I mentioned that people who are not involved become a problem in executing the overall vision, but engagement gives people purpose, and that purpose is fuel to drive that strategy.

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3 Establish and follow a feedback loop

The third step to cultivate a culture of continuous improvement is to establish and follow a feedback loop that enables learning and adaptation. A feedback loop is a mechanism that collects, analyzes, and acts on data and information about the system and its environment. The feedback loop should be iterative, frequent, and transparent, and should involve the team and stakeholders. The feedback loop should also be linked to the vision, the requirements, and the performance indicators of the system. By establishing and following a feedback loop, you can monitor and measure the progress and performance of the system, as well as identify and address the gaps, issues, and opportunities for improvement.

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Marco Agüero

👉 Follow for SRE & DevOps l Director of SRE @ Zeta Global 🛠️
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Process is a circle, it is something that we have learned the hard way. We should apply this in system design, platform design, etc, if we don't have a feedback loop there is no way we can fix things the right way. One of the most important part of what we do is our stakeholders, our users, if we don't get feedback from them then the platform will become useless, a closed feedback look will give them the chance to give their opinion, and in turn, we will fix and build for them, creating a system that evolves over time depending on the users's needs and wants.

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4 Experiment and innovate

The fourth step to nurture a culture of continuous improvement is to experiment and innovate with new ideas and approaches for the system. Experimentation and innovation involve testing hypotheses, exploring alternatives, prototyping solutions, and learning from failures. Experimentation and innovation should be encouraged and supported by providing time, resources, and tools, as well as by creating a safe and positive environment that tolerates risk and error. By experimenting and innovating, you can discover and implement better ways to design, develop, and deliver the system.

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Michael Anderson

Principal Consultant – Cyber Security at SolsticeIT, MSysEng | CC | CISM | CRISC | IRAP
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One change at a time where possible. Changing more than one variable in a system at any one time can lead to confusion about where any incremental improvements come from. changes made to a system in isolation are more easily able to have the impact measured. Granted many systems have linked components and systems of systems. these are all considerations with regards to experimentation and innovation.

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5 Recognize and reward improvement

The fifth step to reinforce a culture of continuous improvement is to recognize and reward improvement efforts and achievements. Recognition and reward involve acknowledging and appreciating the contributions, successes, and learnings of the team and stakeholders in improving the system. Recognition and reward can be formal or informal, individual or collective, monetary or non-monetary, and can be based on both process and outcome measures. By recognizing and rewarding improvement, you can celebrate and sustain the improvement culture, as well as motivate and incentivize further improvement.

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Rogério Comello Machado

Systems Engineer (MSc) | CSEP | PMP | CPRE-AL | CMRP | Electrical Engineer | MBA PM | PSM I | Lt Cdr (Engineering Corps)
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In my view, this is the key step. Human action aligns with the given incentives. The definition of “improvement” should be carefully constructed so people don’t get rewarded for making changes that don’t add value.

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6 Reflect and improve

The sixth and final step to maintain a culture of continuous improvement is to reflect and improve on the improvement process itself. Reflection and improvement involve evaluating and reviewing the effectiveness and efficiency of the improvement activities, methods, and tools, as well as the improvement culture, climate, and behaviors. Reflection and improvement should be done regularly, systematically, and collaboratively, and should result in action plans and recommendations for improvement. By reflecting and improving, you can ensure that the improvement process is continuously improved, and that the improvement culture is continuously enhanced.

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7 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?

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What are the best ways to encourage a culture of continuous improvement?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Define and communicate the vision

2 Involve and empower the team and stakeholders

3 Establish and follow a feedback loop

4 Experiment and innovate

5 Recognize and reward improvement

6 Reflect and improve

7 Here’s what else to consider

Systems Engineering

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What are the best ways to encourage a culture of continuous improvement?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Define and communicate the vision

2 Involve and empower the team and stakeholders

3 Establish and follow a feedback loop

4 Experiment and innovate

5 Recognize and reward improvement

6 Reflect and improve

7 Here’s what else to consider

Systems Engineering

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