Manage continuous improvement of overall performance of your organisation

This standard is about managing the continuous improvement of the overall performance of your organisation. You set up systems to measure organisational performance and create action plans to make improvements, gathering feedback and ideas from colleagues and customers. The emphasis is on identifying and implementing changes which will add value in the eyes of customers and other key stakeholders.

This standard is for all managers and leaders.

1. engage colleagues and key stakeholders in managing continuous improvement
2. specify valid and reliable measures for evaluating the performance of your organisation
3. set up systems for collecting and assessing information on the overall performance of the organisation
4. identify the cause and effects of problems and changes
5. identify opportunities where performance could be improved using information on the overall performance of the organisation
6. establish an organisational culture where people freely make suggestions for improvements
7. encourage customers, suppliers and other key stakeholders to provide feedback on your organisation's performance and suggest improvements
8. benchmark the performance of your organisation against other comparable organisations
9. identify improvements that are beneficial to your organisation, its customers and other key stakeholders
10. create action plans based on feedback and the benchmarking findings
11. agree continuous improvement actions with decision makers
12. implement actions to improve organisational performance
13. share knowledge and understanding of how improvements have, or can be made, across your organisation
14. check that any improvements made are aligned to the organisation's vision and objectives
15. show that the improvements made reduce the gap between what your customers and key stakeholders want, and what your organisation's products, services and processes deliver
16. follow the legal, organisational, codes of practice and policies relevant to your role and the activities being carried out to manage continuous improvement

General knowledge and understanding

1.      how to engage colleagues and other stakeholders in managing continuous improvement

2.      the principles which support organisational improvement

3.      how to establish systems and measures for collecting and assessing information on the overall performance of the organisation and how to use the findings to identify opportunities where organisational performance could be improved

4.      how to benchmark the performance of your organisation against others and take actions based on the findings

5.      the importance of receiving feedback from customers and suppliers on your organisation's performance, and how to obtain and analyse this feedback

6.      the importance of developing a culture that continually improves and how to involve others in achieving this

7.      the importance of finding out the cause and effects of problems and changes

8.      the ways of measuring the effect of improvements

Industry and sector specific knowledge and understanding

9.      the range of information sources and techniques for collecting information that are relevant to the sector in which your organisation works

10.   the trends and developments in the sector related to continuous improvement

11.   the legal, organisational, codes of practice and policies relevant to your role and the activities being carried out to manage continuous improvement

Context specific knowledge and understanding

12.   your organisation's vision, objectives, plans, structure, values, culture and key stakeholders

13.   how your organisation adds value through the delivery of its products, services and processes

14.   your organisation's customers and the value of a customer-focused culture

15.   the measures of performance relevant to your own organisation

16.   the formal and informal sources of information relevant to your organisation and how to gather suitable information

1. Analysing
2. Benchmarking
3. Communicating
4. Decision-making
5. Evaluating
6. Information management
7. Involving others
8. Leadership
9. Planning
10. Presenting information
11. Prioritising
12. Thinking strategically
13. Thinking systematically
14. Thinking with a focus on customers
15. Valuing and supporting members of staff