Quality, service improvement and redesign (QSIR) tools by type of approach

These tools are aligned around a particular approach, whether it is an improvement approach such as Lean, or whether you are specifically looking at your communication approach throughout the life of your improvement project.

Analytical tools

These tools are aligned around a particular approach, whether it is an improvement approach such as Lean, or whether you are specifically looking at your communication approach throughout the life of your improvement project.

Communication

It is of vital importance to communicate throughout your improvement project. However, these tools will help you identify who to communicate with, why and how.

People and change

People are at the heart of any change you make and these tools and techniques will help you understand the impact that making a change can have on individuals – both staff and patients – and consider how to involve them in the project in a way that will help you to make a sustainable improvement.

Creativity

These are tried and tested tools and techniques that will help you to move on your thinking and come up with new solutions and perspectives.

Project management

Project management and its associated tools and techniques should be uppermost in your thoughts from the initiation to the completion of a project. Regardless of your project management approach (eg our six stage approach or PRINCE2), it can be enhanced with the use of these tools.

Commissioning

If you are commissioning a service then these tools may be of particular use in helping with an improvement that you wish to make.

Lean

These tools and techniques are related to or have their origins in the Lean principles around reducing waste, improving smoothness of flow and maintaining productivity.

Six Sigma

These tools and techniques are related to or have their origins in the Six Sigma principles around improving processes to have increased reliability and variation reduction, by identifying and removing defects to improve the quality of the outputs of a process and by implementing a measurement-based strategy.

Reduce variation

These tools and techniques will help you to reduce the variation in your processes and services and so improve quality and safety of care.

Higher reliability

These tools and techniques will help you to increase the reliability of your processes and services to improve quality and safety of care.

Clinical systems improvement

Clinical systems improvement (CSI) can be described as evidence-based operations management for healthcare. This term is used to describe a body of knowledge adapted from systems engineering and other disciplines to improve clinical processes. These tools and techniques all support this approach.