ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on an activity that has taken a prominent position in the role of operations managers, that is, the improvement of operations. It discusses two extreme and opposite strategies to improvement such as continuous improvement and operational innovation and exposed their different characteristics. The chapter also discusses the Deming's plan–do–check–act (PDCA) and define, measure, analyze, improve, and control (DMAIC) continuous improvement cycle models, which are the two most commonly used approaches that organizations use to guide their efforts through an endless cycle of continuous improvement. It examines some specific triggers of innovation and enablers of operational improvement such as gap analysis, benchmarking, quality circles, and ISO standards, among others. Total quality management (TQM) is an organization-wide approach that requires implementation from a strategic viewpoint rather than from an operational one. Business excellence models (BEMs) are one of the popular quality management frameworks that have evolved from the TQM principles.
