Do you want

to know a secret? The reason successful businesses become

successful is they pay attention to small details and

improve everything they do.

It is those same small

details that make major differences to customer loyalty

and the bottom line.

The secret to success for

the Ritz-Carlton Hotels and other excellent companies is

they have made process improvement and defect removal a

science. The techniques and steps the Ritz-Carlton hotels

use can be applied to any business or industry no matter

the size.

The process Ritz-Carton

hotels use to remove defects improves everything they do

and saves them millions of dollars each year. In 1994,

they increased sales by $75 million using 500,000 fewer

man-hours. They did it by eliminating defects, rework and

time-consuming steps in their key processes affecting

customer service.

Fixing problems and

improving service doesn't happen by accident. They have

created a non-stop problem identification and solution

process. The process begins at a comprehensive employee

orientation program. All employees receive training and

must pass an orientation exam with a 100 percent or take

the course over again.

One important factor they

learn about is the Internal Defect Form. Any employee

noticing a deficiency or defect during the work day

writes up an IDF.

All forms are forwarded to

the hotel quality office for consolidation. The quality

office tracks them and sends them to the appropriate

department for action. Department managers and quality

coaches take action to improve, repair or replace the

defect.

The important thing to

remember is that it is the small, seemingly insignificant

defects that have a major impact on good service. Average

organizations will ignore or overlook minor customer

inconveniences. Excellent organizations focus on the

details.

Here are a few suggestions

to consider when initiating a process improvement

strategy for your business.

Seven keys to success:

Key 1 - Top

management's involvement and commitment.

This is the most important

key. Without strong commitment and active involvement

from the top management, process improvement will become

just another program, a flavor of the month... here today

and gone tomorrow.

Key 2 - Strategic

focus.

All activities, actions,

teams etc. need to be working on projects related to the

overall vision or mission of the organization. Major

improvements come from a project by project improvement

approach.

Key 3 - Establish a

guidance team/steering group.

The purpose of this group

is to oversee the various process improvement teams and

projects within the organization. Their main job is to

prioritize projects and provide the resources including

the training, support and guidance during the process.

They approve the charter, time lines and the final

recommendations.

Key 4 - Identify key

improvement projects.

Search your business for

areas needing improvement. Obviously, key efforts should

focus on improving customer service to both the internal

and external customers. Internal customers are the

employees. External customers are the ones who actually

pay for or use the members who use the service or

product.

Key 5 - Pick a team.

Insure you have the right

people represented on the team. Appoint a facilitator who

is trained in process improvement techniques and a team

leader. Be careful to include the process owner.

Key 6 - Establish a

charter. The charter is a written agreement between the

steering group and the process improvement team on the

who, what, where and how of the team. Agree on the

purpose of the team and the goal, and write out a mission

statement.

Key 7 - Measure,

measure, measure. Continued success depends on measurable

results. Change is difficult and unless people can see

the results of their efforts, they become discouraged.

Begin measuring improvements immediately.

Are your members more

pleased with your service? Has morale improved? Is waste

reduced? Link results to the bottom line and publicly

post the results for all to see. Then start all over

again.

For a free sample charter

for your company, please fax your letterhead with the

words "Charter" to 770-760-0581.

Free by e-mail/fax: For

more tips or information on Smith's new book, "TNT

for Teams: Dynamic Ideas to Reward, Energize and Motivate

Your Team," fax your letterhead or e-mail with the

words "TNT" to 770-760-0581/[email protected] .

Gregory P. Smith, author of

"The New Leader," and "How to Attract,

Keep and Motivate Your Workforce." He speaks at

conferences, leads seminars and helps organizations solve

problems. He leads an organization called Chart Your

Course International in Conyers, Ga. Phone him at

770-860-9464 or send an e-mail at [email protected] . Information and articles are at www.chartcourse.com .