One of my regular targets for “change-action” is applying imagination to the traditional standards of measuring success and considering a Return-On-Investment.  It is always easier to take out the OLD performance standards and/or fiscal “cost-per” measurements and declare a program, service or product a success or failure.  But what about measuring a continuous improvement action/training?  Is it a standard business procedure to re-gather affected staff to determine the minimum or maximum effectiveness of a continuous improvement initiative?  Or is just offering the initiative and having everyone attend the measure of success?

Well because change, innovation and dollars all deserve “equal time” as progress and quality factors, consider these TOP 10 “What Aren’t We Seeing?” EVAL-CULATIONS! (Yes it’s a new word!) as you consider the value of your continuous improvement efforts:

1. Did organizational leadership revisit the trainees and ask them “What’s the 1 THING you learned?”
2. How many other colleagues did you share your positive learning experience with?
3. Did the organization’s action/training prompt you to meet one-on-one with co-workers to consider a more progressive change?
4. How many attendees expressed a “Something To Look Forward To!” attitude following the continuous improvement action/training?
5. Was it possible to calculate the number of “spin-off” ideas that resulted?
6. In follow-up discussions…did attendees appear to improve their ability to prioritize?
7. Did the organization’s action/training generate increased/quality internal/external communication?
8. How many attendees “stepped-up” to be more involved in future actions?
9. Is it possible to witness personnel re-looking at past evaluation approaches and considering new, innovation-based designs?
10. If our goal is to be better and special…as organizations, businesses, and workers…shouldn’t we try to use unique 21^st Century EVAL-CULATIONS as new criteria?

Don’t ever be afraid of or limit the way you look at the value of initiatives.  Better and Special deserve an always changing, always innovative measuring stick…plus it often causes FUN to be infused into your daily work.