This two-day, instructor-led course is designed for manufacturing and operations professionals who are responsible for building and sustaining a culture of continuous improvement — not just solving individual problems, but creating the team habits, management systems, and improvement cadence that make better performance stick. Using a structured, facilitation-focused approach, participants learn how to lead cross-functional teams through problem analysis, prioritize improvement actions, and connect their findings to PDCA cycles and quality systems. The emphasis throughout is on practical team-based methods that supervisors, CI leads, and improvement managers can put to work immediately and repeat consistently across their organization

Interested in this course, but still have questions? Join one of our upcoming Live Discussions with Course Instructor Terry Mann to explore the content ahead of time. Participation is free! Live Discussions are on April 6 and May 12.

• Write clear problem statements that align cross-functional teams and focus improvement efforts
• Use basic problem analysis methods to support shared understanding and guide improvement work
• Facilitate team discussions to prioritize issues and improvement actions
• Evaluate countermeasures using data, observation, and PDCA to improve results
• Develop feasible, sustainable improvement actions that strengthen process performance
• Integrate structured problem solving into PDCA cycles, management systems, and ongoing continuous improvement practices

This course is ideal for professionals responsible for improving process performance, strengthening processes, and leading structured continuous improvement in manufacturing or operational environments. It is especially suited for:

• Emerging managers and improvement leaders building management systems and a culture of continual improvement
• Quality and manufacturing professionals responsible for leading and facilitating cross-functional improvement efforts
• Operations supervisors and team leaders improving recurring process or performance issues
• Quality and manufacturing professionals responsible for leading and facilitating cross-functional improvement efforts
• Lean, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement practitioners strengthening PDCA-based improvement

Module I

Foundations of Continual Improvement Thinking

• Introduce continual improvement as a mindset for reducing waste and solving recurring problems at the system level
• Present the 8 Classes of Waste as a diagnostic tool for identifying improvement opportunities
• Connect visible symptoms to deeper systemic issues addressed through continual improvement thinking

Problem Statements and Descriptions

• Emphasize the importance of clear, focused problem statements to guide effective continual improvement efforts
• Practice framing problems in ways that avoid blame and promote team-based analysis

Applying Is / Is Not Analysis

• Apply Is / Is Not Analysis to define problem boundaries and avoid scope creep in continual improvement projects
• Use structured comparisons to support shared team understanding and effective root cause exploration

Using Cause and Effect Diagrams

• Construct Cause and Effect Diagrams to visually map contributing factors
• Reinforce continual improvement principles by emphasizing logic, categorization, and collaboration in identifying systemic causes

Team-Based Tools: Affinity and Interrelationship Diagrams

• Use Affinity Diagrams to group ideas and identify themes during team brainstorming
• Apply Interrelationship Digraphs to uncover patterns and prioritize continual improvement efforts based on systemic impact

Verifying the Root Cause

• Practice confirming or eliminating potential causes using data and observation
• Support evidence-based thinking to ensure continual improvement efforts target the right root causes

Module II

Tree Diagrams for Action Planning

• Break complex issues into actionable steps using Tree Diagrams
• Clarify sequencing and responsibility to support structured continual improvement implementation

Prioritization Matrices for Decision Making

• Apply Prioritization Matrices to focus team energy on high-impact actions
• Use weighted criteria to align improvement efforts with strategic continual improvement goals

Linking to PDCA and Quality Systems

• Connect root cause findings to PDCA cycles, audits, and quality systems
• Emphasize sustainability, accountability, and follow-up mechanisms to support long-term, continual improvement success

Capstone Workshop and Reflection

• Apply the complete set of continual improvement tools to a realistic case scenario
• Facilitate team collaboration to define problems, identify root causes, prioritize actions, and build an implementation plan
• Reflect on course learnings and identify next steps for applying continual improvement practices in participants' own work environments

Terry Mann

Terry Mann is a senior lecturer with the UW-Madison College of Engineering, and has an active consulting practice assisting companies in the implementation of ISO quality and environmental management system requirements. He is an Exemplar Global Principal QMS Auditor, EMS Auditor, Medical Device Auditor and Senior ASQ Certified Quality Auditor. Terry teaches courses on quality engineering topics, including ISO Standards, Six Sigma, operations management, statistical process control, design of experiments, cellular manufacturing, and facilities layout. He earned his Master of Science degree in Manufacturing Systems Engineering from the UW–Madison.