Quality Appraisal and Evaluation

This report discusses performance improvement methodologies such as lean, Six Sigma, PDCA, and PDSA. It analyzes their effectiveness and provides a real-world example of their usage in a healthcare organization. The report aims to help organizations improve their performance and achieve organizational excellence.

Running head: QUALITY APPRAISAL AND EVALUATION
Quality Appraisal and Evaluation
Name of Student
Name of University
Author Note

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Table of Contents
1. Introduction......................................................................................................................2
2. Performance Improvement Methodologies.....................................................................2
3. Real world Example........................................................................................................8
4. Conclusion.......................................................................................................................8
References..........................................................................................................................10

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1. Introduction
Performance improvement can be indicated as a process and procedure of accurate
measurement of a specific process. It is related to the increase in processes and procedure related
to increasing the effectiveness along with the efficiency of the process and procedures followed
in execution of a project. Performance improvement, therefore, can be described as a measure of
the results achieved after execution of a task or a project (Ghobakhloo& Hong, 2014). The report
analyses the different performance improvement methodologies, which include, lean, Lean Six
Sigma, PDCA, six Sigma and PDSA. The report analyses the importance of these performance
improvement methodologies and provides a real world example of the methodology and its
usage in a healthcare organization.
2. Performance Improvement Methodologies
There are a number of performance improvement methodologies that can be used for
analyzing the impact of a particular project or work. The performance improvement
methodologies that will be discussed in this section of the report include, the lean method, the
lean six sigma method, the PDCA method, the Six Sigma method and the PDSA method. The
detailed comparison and contrasting of each of the performance improvement method are
indicated in the table below.

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Characteristics Lean Sig Sigma Lean Six Sigma PDCA PDSA
Definition Lean provides a
framework for
implementation of
performance
improvement
programs within an
organization
The performance
improvement model
six sigma is quite
efficient in improving
the process
performance of the
project (Jacobs, Swink
& Linderman, 2015).
Six sigma can be
considered as a logical
and structured
approach that helps in
improving the business
processes of a
particular organization
(Lee & Larson, 2014).
Lean six sigma is a
set of principle and
tools that helps in
improving the
performance of a
system in a
continuous manner
(Tenera & Pinto,
2014). Lean six
sigma is mainly used
in systems that
include the health
care system. The
Lean six sigma
approach mainly
aims in elimination
of the waste and
The plan-do-check-
act (PDCA) cycle is
described as a four
step model that is
mainly used for
carrying out a
particular change
within an
organization. PDCA
is needed to be
repeated again and
again, to ascertain
the continuous
improvement in an
organization (Lee &
Larson, 2014).
The Plan-Do-Study-Act
(PDSA) cycle, is known
to be a part of the
Institute of Healthcare
and is considered to be a
simple as well as a
powerful tool that is
needed for accelerating
the quality improvement
of a project (Lee &
Larson, 2014).

4QUALITY APPRAISAL AND EVALUATION
reduces the
unintentional
variation that is
linked with the
improvement of the
quality of the system
(Prashar, 2014).
Principle/
Effectiveness
There are mainly four
principle of Lean
performance
improvement method,
which include-
1. Focus on the
Value: The main aim
of this methodology
is to link the
enterprise value
strategies with the
The efficiency of the
six sigma method lies
in the fact that it
eliminates the risks and
issues in the project
leading to zero defects.
This model is more
effective than lean
as this particular
approach identifies
and prioritizes the
problems as per the
needs of the
customers thus
improving the
customer
satisfaction
PDCA cycle is
mainly used in an
organization, prior
to the initiation of a
new project related
to improvement, or
during the
development of a
new project design.
PDCA cycle is
generally used for
The PDSA cycle is
mainly used for testing a
particular change by
effectively planning the
change, then,
implementing the
change, and observing
the results along with
acting on the lesson
learnt. Therefore, the
PDSA method of

5QUALITY APPRAISAL AND EVALUATION
internal process
modelling for
ensuring that the
goals of the project
are
met(Ghobakhloo&
Hong, 2014)
2.Process guidance:
This is a key aspect of
lean performance
improvement
methodology that
helps in focusing on
the processes of
execution of a project
3. Teamwork: The
teamwork is another
significant quality of
(Groenewald,
Kleingeld & Vosloo,
2015). The six
sigma improvement
model mainly
focuses on
recognizing,
measuring,
improving,
controlling,
analyzing, defining,
integrating and
standardizing the
different work
processes to save
time and money.
defining a repetitive
work process as
well.
performance
improvement, can be
described as a way of
testing a change that is
being implemented in an
organization.

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lean performance
improvement method
and it provides a
platform for
exchanging the skills
and ideas of
execution of a
project.
4. Continuous
Improvement: This
principle of
performance
improvement helps in
achieving the
constant modelling of
the processes linked
with continuous
improvement (Bhat,

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Gijo&Jnanesh, 2016).
Advantage Cost Reduction and
maximization of the
profits
It is a proactive
methodology that
provides effective
recommendations in
performance
improvement process
Customer
satisfaction is
prioritized
It helps in
stimulating
continuous
improvement
Enforces greater
sustainability in the
improvement process
Disadvantage A lot of patience is
required for
implementation of
lean
This method is related
to generation of a large
number of empirical
data.
Little emphasis is
given to employee
involvement
Oversimplifying the
improvement
process
Failure of performing
PDSA in correct order
can result in
multiplication of the
problems.
Table 1: Comparison among Lean, Six Sigma, Lean Six Sigma, PDCA and PDSA

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3. Real world Example
One of the performance improvement models that have been adopted in the healthcare
industry across the globe, is six sigma. One example of the same is Baxter hospital. The
implementation of six Sigma processes provided organizational excellence (Sabry, 2014). Baxter
healthcare organization provided a unique approach of organizational excellence. The Six Sigma
process has allowed the company of making tremendous strides in productivity of the
organization. The use of Six Sigma model have helped the organization in effective management
of all the operations of the healthcare organization, which in turn helped in improving the
organizational excellence. The six Sigma process has improved the operational processes by
identifying the gap and by designing a cross functional project team.
4. Conclusion
The report discusses the concept of performance improvement that is used by the
organizations to ascertain that the performance of a particular organization is improved. The
report discusses lean, lean six sigma, PDCA, six sigma, and PDSA performance improvement
method of the organization. The effectiveness of each of the performance improvement methods
are discussed in order to ascertain the effectiveness of those models in bringing in certain
improvements in the organization. The report provides with an idea of implementation of a
performance improvement model in a real organization. The six sigma can significantly help in
management and implementation of change within an organization in an effective manner.
Similarly, the other performance improvement models help in effective execution of change

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within an organization. A number of these performance improvement methods are used in
implementation of change in healthcare organization across the globe.

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References
Bhat, S., Gijo, E. V., &Jnanesh, N. A. (2016). Productivity and performance improvement in the
medical records department of a hospital: An application of Lean Six
Sigma. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 65(1), 98-
125.
Ghobakhloo, M., & Hong, T. S. (2014). IT investments and business performance improvement:
the mediating role of lean manufacturing implementation. International Journal of
Production Research, 52(18), 5367-5384.
Groenewald, H. J., Kleingeld, M., &Vosloo, J. C. (2015, August). A performance-centred
maintenance strategy for industrial DSM projects. In 2015 International Conference on
the Industrial and Commercial Use of Energy (ICUE) (pp. 50-53). IEEE.
Jacobs, B. W., Swink, M., &Linderman, K. (2015). Performance effects of early and late Six
Sigma adoptions. Journal of Operations Management, 36, 244-257.
Lee, C. S., & Larson, D. B. (2014). Beginner’s guide to practice quality improvement using the
model for improvement. Journal of the American College of Radiology, 11(12), 1131-
1136.
Prashar, A. (2014). Adoption of Six Sigma DMAIC to reduce cost of poor quality. International
Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 63(1), 103-126.
Sabry, A. (2014). Factors critical to the success of Six-Sigma quality program and their influence
on performance indicators in some of Lebanese hospitals. Arab Economic and Business
Journal, 9(2), 93-114.

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Tenera, A., & Pinto, L. C. (2014). A Lean Six Sigma (LSS) project management improvement
model. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 119, 912-920.