Continuous Improvement

Empowering multi-disciplinary stakeholders to be collaborative architects in the planning, implementation and sustainability of quality and process improvement initiatives through the ongoing improvement of products, services, or processes. These efforts can seek “incremental” improvement over time or “breakthrough” improvement all at once.

About Us

The work of continuous process improvement is not the job of any one person.  Ultimately, the key objective is to empower staff at every level to identify problems and investigate new ways to run the “business of research”. This staff empowerment will be a key success factor to create a culture of continuous improvement that brings sustainable growth in both research and operational outcomes at CU.

Our Mission

With humility and respect for every individual, we support CU’s research community by using evidence-based improvement methodologies to enable discovery, drive transformation, and increase the collective impact of research practices and operations.

Our Services

 Project Guidance

Continuous Improvement Project Guidance is available to OVCR leaders and teams to ensure that improvement projects follow a structured problem-solving approach.

  • Identify, triage, and prioritize improvement projects
  • Project planning
  • Project event facilitation
  • Project implementation support

 Training & Education

Continuous Improvement course offerings [in development] will be available to OVCR leaders and staff (individuals and teams that support research functions at CU)  to enable individuals to solve the problems that impact their daily work.

  • Fundamentals of CI: an overview of Lean principles with an emphasis on common tools used to apply Lean. Designed for all OVCR staff interested in the basic principles of improvement.
  • Intro to CI Tools: an overview of Lean principles with an emphasis on behaviors of Lean leaders. Designed for managers and above or project managers.
  • CI-Understanding Current State: a variety of specific trainings focused on the tools of Lean.
  • Ad hoc training and education as needed

 Ad hoc Coaching

Ad hoc improvement coaching is available to OVCR leaders and staff to support them on their Lean journey.

  • Identification of unit level key performance indicators
  • Establishment of visual management systems and scorecards
  • Guidance on practicing Lean leader behaviors
  • Facilitation of team-level problem solving initiatives
  • Space optimization (5S and Standard work)
  • Other support, as needed

 Strategic Support

Strategic support is available to OVCR leaders to ensure that a clear line-of-sight exists for teams, work aligns across work functions, and assessing work regularly for performance and quality.

  • Strategic planning | Hoshin Kanri
  • Facilitation of strategic Lean events

CI Support Team

Resources

UCD|AMC: Fundamentals of CI

The focus of continuous improvement is to increase efficiency across campus so that we can better serve our students, improve workplace satisfaction and be agile as we face the current and future challenges of higher education. This course is designed to provide a foundational understanding of continuous improvement culture and mindset and how those concepts can be applied to our daily work.

Pre-requisites: None
         Pre-work: 5-15 minutes of pre-work. Details sent prior to the session.

UCD|AMC: Intro to CI Tools

Building on the fundamentals course, this course will focus on learning tools that apply the continuous improvement framework to problem-solving. We will utilize the Plan-Do-Check-Act framework and introduce other tools that can be applied immediately in your workplace.

Pre-requisites: Fundamentals of Continuous Improvement Methodology and Culture or equivalent fundamentals/introductory training of continuous improvement
         Pre-work: None

UCD|AMC: CI-Understanding Current State

In order to solve complex problems and develop solutions, we first need a clear picture and understanding of what the issue is. This course will focus on how to capture the current state in service of understanding project scope and set the path towards building impactful solutions.

Pre-requisites: Fundamentals of Continuous Improvement Methodology and Culture or equivalent fundamentals/introductory training of continuous improvement
         Pre-work: None

  • Request Support
  • Submit an Idea

Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research

CU Anschutz

Fitzsimons Building

13001 East 17th Place

WG109

Mail stop F520

Aurora, CO 80045

Administration
Leadership
Resources

Created in partnership between the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and the School of Medicine.

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