Impruver is the premier software solution for executing company strategy, specifically with Agile Strategy Execution, (ASE). ASE and Impruver are nothing short of revolutionary. Companies using this approach are getting more done per quarter than their counterparts do in years. ASE is the simplest and most powerful approach to developing, deploying, and executing company strategy. Impruver is the premier software solution for executing company strategy, specifically with ASE.
This video demonstrates how to develop, deploy, and execute strategy as a Continuous Improvement leader with Impruver:
There are several features that help execute company strategy as a Continuous Improvement leader in Impruver:
- Goal-setting
- Vertical Goal Alignment
- Horizontal Goal Alignment
- PDCA-style Strategy Execution
Now lets walk through how each of these are done:
1. Goal-setting
Impruver allows Continuous Improvement leaders to support the goal-setting process throughout the organization. The secret sauce in Agile Strategy Execution is that each person sets one goal at a time. Goals are achieved and set in series throughout the year instead of trying to complete multiple in parallel, which is the traditional approach. Here’s how you set goals in Impruver:
- Setting Improvement Goals in Impruver:
1) From the User Dashboard, click the Storyboard link in the header
2) Click the pencil in the Title row of the Storyboard page to open the Coaching Cards
3) Review or input your Challenge. If your manager has set a Goal, it will automatically appear as your Challenge. If not, input a Challenge, which is a longer term Goal with a scope of 6 to 18 months. Then click Next
4) On the Goal card, complete your Goal information to include Metric, Unit of Measure, Baseline, Target, and Completion Date. Then click Next.
5) On the Goal Review page, select the PDCA frequency, which is the cadence at which you will be making improvements. Then click Next.
6) On the Next Action card, input the first improvement that you will make and what you expect to happen from this improvement. Then click Next. Then click Finish.
This will set up your Storyboard to include your new Goal and prepare you to make a series of improvements.
Check out this article on How to Do PDCA, Toyota KATA, 4DX, and Agile Strategy Execution in Impruver for a more detailed explanation of using the Storyboard
Here’s where you can find the Impruver Storyboard:
Here’s where you can access the Coaching Cards from Step 2:
Here’s a screenshot of the Goal card as mentioned in step 4 above:
2. Vertical Strategic Alignment
Vertical alignment refers to the cascade of strategic goals from the top of the organization to the frontlines. The idea is that any person in the company should be able to make a direct connection between their own strategic goal to that of top leadership.
In Impruver, this is done through a Challenge and Goal dynamic where the Challenge of each direct report is the same as the user’s Goal. This simple mechanism cascades in a catchball-like process to include everyone in the organization.
In the Impruver Platform, users simply set Goals in their Storyboard and this process is facilitated automatically. Here’s a screenshot of how it looks on the Strategy Deployment page:
Notice how Jack’s Goal aligns to Mike’s, which aligns to James’. Once Mike has set a goal, Jack can check the boxes next to Mike’s Goal and Deadline to confirm alignment. The same is true for Mike and his team members.
3. Horizontal Alignment
Horizontal alignment refers to the process of breaking down a leader’s Goal and distributing ownership to members of their immediate team. Each team member sets a Goal in alignment with their leader’s Goal but scoped to be relevant to their area of ownership. For example, if Mike’s Goal is to increase profitability, his quality leader, Samantha’s Goal might be to decrease the cost of non-quality.
Here’s a diagram to explain how this works across a leader’s team:
The Impruver Platform automatically facilitates this process by simply setting Goals on the Storyboard. Each team member simply set’s a Goal in alignment with their Challenge, which is the same as their leader’s Goal.
Here’s a screenshot from the Impruver Platform that shows how this appears:
Notice how Mike, who is the active user, has visibility to his boss’ Goal, his own Goal, and the Goals of all of his team members. Mike also has visibility to the status’, and deadlines of everyone’s goals. If Mike sets a new Goal that takes a different strategic direction, his team will follow suit organically when they set their next Goal. This is what gives the organization greater agility.
4. PDCA-style Strategy Execution
Impruver enables a powerful PDCA-style approach to strategy execution similar to Toyota KATA and 4DX. Although the system does allow for DMAIC and other project-based approaches also, Impruver is the premier software for the iterative approach to Continuous Improvement.
Here’s a snapshot of the Impruver Storyboard:
Here are a few links to explore how to use Impruver do do this:
For more of a project-based approach to strategy development, deployment, and execution, check out How to do DMAIC and A3-style projects in Impruver.
Impruver is the premier software solution for Continuous Improvement professionals. It enables CI Leaders to help their organizations develop, deploy, and execution strategy using an agile approach based on Continuous Improvement principles. Check out how you can gamify Continuous Improvement in Impruver.
