Continuous process improvement (CIP) is the ongoing effort to improve product, services or processes through incremental or breakthrough changes.
Process improvement prioritizes effectiveness over efficiency because highly efficient processes may still fail to achieve business goals. Six Sigma targets 99.9966% quality through root cause analysis. LEAN manufacturing, pioneered by Toyota, eliminates waste based on customer value. Cross-training employees prevents bottlenecks from sick days and vacations, while regular employee surveys reveal hidden improvement opportunities they see daily.
Better customer onboarding creates a first impression that every business should aim to make with its customers - one that explodes and creates referrals.
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Motorola's 1986 initiative reduced product defects to 3.4 per million opportunities using statistical measurements. Most companies operate at 3 Sigma with 66,807 defects per million. Shifting just one Sigma level to 4 Sigma returns massive savings to bottom line, typically generating 20% profit margin growth annually through systematic DMAIC methodology identifying root causes.
The consistent buzz about continuous process improvement has been present for more than three decades - to the point where it is becoming a background hum.