Improvement

Improvement means something is getting better over time.

We would all like to see improvements on many dimensions and on many levels; improved relationships; better living and working conditions; better health; more time; more money; less stress; less confusion; less conflict; more confidence; more trust ….

We cannot change the reality of the past; we can only hope to change the course of the future.

Improvement Science is the emerging understanding of how to deliberately and reliably build a better future.  The good news is that the evidence to date suggests that anyone can develop the attitudes, skills and knowledge required to facilitate improvement.

Improvement is a process that can be learned, practiced, and taught.

The roots of Improvement Science stretch back into antiquity, but it is only in the last 100 years that practice has become more understood.  One of the milestones in this journey was the invention of the process behaviour chart by Walter Shewhart and the realisation of the value of this simple tool.  By creating something that anyone can use means that both non-experts and experts have a common language for talking about the process that they both want to improve.  It does not matter if it is a commercial enterprise producing goods and services for customers; or if it is a healthcare professional providing expert help to a patient. The principles, theory, techniques and tools of Improvement Science can be applied by any one, any place and any time.