Improvement tools

Quality improvement (QI) tools are here to help support you in your improvement work and are known to accelerate improvements.

Your QI tools will help to get you up and running and continue to help with improvement projects. In addition there are tools that will help you at certain stages of your QI project, they will help with actually understanding your issue, Engaging with others in improvement, developing a SMART aim, measurement, ideas generation and testing your changes (PDSA); and reflection & next steps.

We also have some great tools to support you with communication that will be useful throughout the life-cycle of your improvement project.

Six steps to improvement

Step 1

Understanding the problem- tools here include process mapping, 5 why's, fishbone diagram, data gathering and pareto

Step 2

Engaging others in improvement- tools here include understanding working styles, communications tools and useful links to external web tools

Step 3

Developing a SMART aim- tools here will include driver diagram, project charter and the model for improvement

Step 4

Measurement- tools here will include templates to create charts which include run chart, Statistical Process Chart, measure of central tendency etc ......

Step 5

Ideas generation and testing changes- tools here will include PDSA plans, PDSA ramp, action plans etc .....

Step 6

Reflection and next steps- tools here will include SWOT analysis, spread plans etc ......

Other tools

Other tools- tools here will include project templates, guides to accessing useful resources, improvement training slides etc .......