(14) QI Step by Step Guide - 11

improvement project on a daily basis. Local Experts can be front-line staff or agency employees who know the process best and can identify solutions to fix the problem. Be sure to include local experts from all disciplines/roles involved in the process (e.g., Local experts for a clinical project may be clinical providers, nurses, technicians, and clerical staff)  Outside Perspective is an individual who is not directly involved in the process and can provide a “fresh pair of eyes” to the process. They often ask the “why is it done that way?” questions and often suggest innovative changes to improve the process. This individual should not be timid to speak up and ask the “why?” questions.  QI Project Manager is usually the QI Team Leader or Local Expert who provides organization and management for the project. Specifically they are detail oriented and the driver behind the project. They help the team stay on track by developing timelines, monitoring progress on the project tasks, and facilitate team meetings. DEVELOP AN AIM STATEMENT ( Answers the question: What are we trying to accomplish?) How many times have you been part of a project that lacks direction? Lack of direction and scope can lead to wasted resources, frustration, and even project failure. An aim statement acts as your compass to guide and focus your team’s efforts. It is an explicit statement of the desired outcome of your improvement project. It is S pecific, M easureable, A chievable, R elevant, and T ime bound. A good aim statement includes the following components:  What are we trying to accomplish? o Identify the problem that you need to fix and identify the overall goal of your project (i.e. your long term outcome) o Use words like improve, reduce, and increase  Why is it important? o This should answer the questions “so what?” or “why bother doing this project?”  Who is the specific target population? o Who or what area is the project focused on?  When will this be completed? o Include a specific timeframe for completing the improvements (i.e., month , day, and year)  How will this be carried out? o It is NOT a specific list of tasks/strategies you will do, instead what methods you will use at a high level (i.e. Lean methodology, Bright Futures toolkit, etc.)  What are our measurable goals? o What are some short term outcome and process goals that will help you know that you have achieved your overall project aim? (i.e. Reduce wait time for child health clinic from 2 hours to 45 minutes, Increase customer satisfaction scores from 50% to 85% etc.) o Include 4-6 goals o The goals are similar to SMART objectives--remember you want to have ‘stretch’ goals (e.g. if your baseline data for wait time in a child health clinic is 50 minutes you would not want to make your goal 40 minutes, because your team would not have to “stretch” to meet that goal.) Once your team has developed an aim statement, it is important to review it with your agency leadership health director, management team and other senior managers to ensure everyone is in 3 This document was adapted from information from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, NC Center for Public Health Quality, NC Charlotte Area Health Education Center, and NC State University Industrial Extension Service.