Accelerate Programme: L3 Improvement Technician

3 Level 3 Improvement Technician

Who is this course for?

This course is best for those involved in an improvement project team in a non-manufacturing setting. It is also suitable for those leading an improvement project team within a manufacturing setting.

What topics are covered?

Knowledge Statements:

Compliance: Legislative and customer compliance requirements including health and safety.
Team formation & leadership: Improvement team roles and responsibilities in a change environment.
Self-development: Different sources for knowledge development.
Project management: Project charter, Gantt chart, reporting documentation, Red Amber Green (RAG) status, communication (verbal and non-verbal channels) and implementation plans.
Change management: Roles of the manager and leader within change. Influencing, reinforcement and coaching principles.
Principles & methods: Six Sigma principles per ISO13053 (International Organisation for Standardisation), interim containment actions, Lean principles.
Project selection & scope: Selection matrix, scoping tree.
Problem definition: Exploratory data analysis, data collection planning, problem and goal statements.
Process mapping & analysis: Supplier Input Process Output Customer (SIPOC), process mapping, value and waste analysis, performance metrics - discrete data.
Data acquisition for analysis: Data stratification, sampling theory, data types, variation types and sources, data collection tools, operational definition and principles of measurement error.
Basic statistics & measures: Control charts - discrete data.
Process capability & performance: Capability analysis - continuous data.
Root cause analysis: Histograms.
Experimentation: Active analysis versus one factor at a time, Plan Do Check Act.
Identification & prioritisation: Brainstorming, selection criteria.
Sustainability & control: Process.

Skill Statements:

Compliance: Work in accordance with organisational controls and statutory regulations.
Communication: Share improvement progress through appropriate reporting.
Project management: Plan, manage and implement improvement activities. Identify and support management of risks. Develop the business case for improvement activity and implementation.
Change management: Engage through communications. Reinforce – positively and negatively. Effectively coach peers.
Principles and methods: Use a structured method and appropriate improvement tools engaging with subject matter experts to deliver business benefits.
Project selection and Scoping: Identify and scope improvement projects and establish clear measurable objectives.
Problem definition: Develop a problem/opportunity statement supported by validated data.
Voice of the customer: Apply techniques to identify customers, their requirements and translate these to metrics.
Process mapping & analysis: Apply process mapping tools to visualise processes, analyse process performance establishing key insights for performance improvement.
Lean tools: Apply techniques such as identification and removal of 8 wastes, 5S (Sort, Shine, Set, Standardise, Sustain), standard work, kaizen, visual displays and controls, error proofing, preventative maintenance.
Data acquisition for analysis: Develop data collection plan and validated measurement processes to understand performance.
Basic statistics & measures: Establish patterns and trends in data over time using tally, pie, run/trend and pareto charts.
Data analysis-statistical methods: Identify common and special cause variation.
Process capability & performance: Analyse product/process performance using good quality data.
Root cause analysis: Use cause and effect diagrams, technique of 5 whys and graphical analysis to understand and verify root causes.
Identification & prioritisation: Identify and prioritise improvement solutions.
Benchmarking: Recognise the value of sharing best practice.
Sustainability & control: Create control and reaction plans with detection measures, identify opportunities to embed changes to leverage benefit to the business.

Behaviour Statements:

Drive for results: Clear commitment for identifying opportunities and delivering improvements, pays attention to detail.
Team-working: Helps when asked, works effectively in a diverse team, considers impact of own actions on others, motivates peers.
Professionalism: Acts in a moral, legal and socially appropriate manner, aligns behaviours to the organisations values, trusted to working on own when appropriate.
Continuous development: Acts upon feedback, reflects on performance and has a desire for learning.
Safe working: Ensures safety of self and others, challenges safety.