our approach
The journey
An improvement science approach starts with a powerful desire for change that ignites an investment in learning that leads to healthier systems. Sometimes it is a network or an entire organization that sets off on the collective learning journey, sometimes it is a set of teams within an organization and sometimes it is a single team. Regardless of the size or structure, the group’s ability to tap into diverse forms of expertise, align its efforts and learn together determines the success of its journey.
While the field of improvement science offers principles and methods for structuring collective learning, for teams setting out, it can be difficult to figure out when and how to draw on different methods and ideas to produce the kind of learning that sits at the heart of systems transformation. The illustration below serves as a road map for teams, offering key learning questions and purposes for each phase of the journey to guide their improvement efforts.
how we help
Guiding questions
Commision and Launch
Guiding Questions
What are our current outcomes?
What is the current design of our system?
How is the design of our system producing our outcomes?
Purpose
Develop a shared understanding of what is currently happening
See the system from multiple perspectives
Identify key levers of change
Focus Collective Efforts
Guiding Questions
What specifically are we trying to accomplish?
Purpose
Create a shared sense of purpose and direction for improvement work
Establish the boundaries and develop the scope of work
Learn in Practice
Guiding Questions
How can we test our ideas in practice?
How will we know if a change is an improvement?
Purpose
Learn about the utility, functionality, and impact of change ideas
Understand the Current System
Guiding Questions
What are our current outcomes?
What is the current design of our system?
How is the design of our system producing our outcomes?
Purpose
Develop a shared understanding of what is currently happening
See the system from multiple perspectives
Identify key levers of change
Generate Ideas for Change
Guiding Questions
What changes might we introduce?
Purpose
Make your theory of change explicit
Develop specific, actionable ideas for change to test
Sustain and Spread
Guiding Questions
How do we get changes to work reliably across an increasingly diverse set of contexts?
Purpose
Embed changes in the system to ensure sustained improvement
Consolidate “proven” changes worthy of spread
Create conditions for change ideas to spread