There is a depressing sense of déjà vu about much business improvement – a series of one-off projects where many of the savings are not sustained and the cycle starts again. PIP looks to set up the systems, wiring and skills to embed continuous improvement in organisations from day one.

• One-off improvement exercises by definition typically offer limited long-term benefit
• There is rarely sufficient rigour and investment of time in developing skills required to deliver ongoing improvement.

Over the years we have had the opportunity to work with a large number of companies on operational improvements. Rarely were we the first consulting firm to be called in to help. In many cases, we were not even the second or the third. Through this revolving door process, it has become apparent that many companies look at business improvement as an initiative and not as a culture.

It is our view that business improvement is something that, once started, should never have to be started again – it should be an ongoing process in the business, not something that starts and stops in campaigns. Unfortunately we have also learned that this view, while shared by many companies, is not widely practiced. Driving change is easy; getting it to be sustainable is hard.

If you would like an electronic or paper copy of any of our newsletters please contact Catherine Bristow at catherine.bristow@pipint.com