Sustainability: the elusive element of process improvement

Purpose - This paper identifies ten enablers for sustaining process improvement (PI) activities. Design/methodology/approach - The enablers are derived from analysing 40 activities and identifying the significant enablers from the more successful activities. Findings - Five enablers associated with activities that fully realise the PI activity are identified and a further five enablers associated with those activities that go on to achieve continuous improvement are identified. Practical implications - The enablers are designed to assist people who conduct PI activities, cell leaders whose areas are involved in PI activities and change agents and change champions who are co-ordinating PI programmes. The practical nature of the enablers means that they are based on processes that cell leaders, change agents and change champions can affect. Originality/value - PI activities are a crucial tool for companies undergoing a lean transformation and removing waste from their processes. PI activities have been conducted widely throughout many industries and countries, but little analytical work has been done into what sustains the improvements made by these activities.