How to prove improvements?

[Jim Wynne]

Let me rephrase. In order for a claim to be true it must also be capable of being proven false. If something isn't falsifiable "There is an undetectable unicorn orbiting the moon" it has no value.

Such a claim would have value to a person who is invested in the delusion and other like-minded individuals. I understand your point, but the concept of falsifiability is ill-fitting in this context. Provision of objective evidence doesn't necessarily equal unassailable "proof." In this case, just saying that the lab space was enlarged to give people more room to work should be enough.

 

[Ninja]

...and taking care to ensure goals have value is what I'm not seeing much of above.
If the goal is clear and concise (I hesitate to say SMART, but there it is), most of the above issues (including the OP's issue) cease to exist.

Take more time setting clear and valuable goals...and the 'proving' gets a whole lot easier...since the method of proving (or disproving) is right in the goal statement.

 

[Kronos147]

Food for thought;
Document the 'improvement' in the Management Review action items, and review their approval in the following Management Review (when you review the previous action items). The approval is now the meeting minutes.

 

[John Broomfield]

It depends on your quality objectives but could include:

A. Wider employee engagement
B. More profitable customers
C. Fewer repeated customer complaints

 

[Ninja]

Not disagreeing, just using your proposed goal to reinforce my point:

Take more time setting clear and valuable goals...

A. Wider employee engagement

"Wider employee engagement." as a goal leads back into the OP's issue, how do you know if you've met it?

"Wider employee engagement as measured by employee turnover with number of exit interviews stating job or culture dissatisfaction (or equivalent) decreasing year on year."
has no issue being 'proven' one way or the other.

...or "monthly average number of people sitting at 'tables for one' in the cafeteria decreasing over the next year"...

State the measurement method, and the time frame right in the goal itself...then there is no issue "proving" it.

 

[John Broomfield]

Wider employee engagement depends on knowing its current width.

The width could be measured, for example, by the proportion of employees making the suggested improvements from:

- Core process
- Support process
- Supervisors, managers, operators, admin staff
- New employees (within first year)
- 10, 20, 30 years with the company.
...etc

Instead of waiting for employee exit interviews I would measure the proportion of employees suggesting:

A. Business ideas
B. System improvements
C. Process improvements
D. Future opportunities
....etc

The rate and value of these suggestions could also be measured.

Engagement may also be measured by the numbers volunteering for auditor training (unsuitable candidates may be more suited to first aid training), the number engaged in problem prevention and the number engaged in problem solving.

All depending on what the business needs.

 

[Ninja]

Your point is well made...but in my experience (we set the record for employee retention and satisfaction in our business sector locally):

employees making the suggested improvements

so 0 goes to 1

employees suggesting

yeah...no.

the numbers volunteering for auditor training

LOL...

The rate and value of these suggestions could also be measured.

$ NPAT = $40K lost in 6months. Long term = $40K lost...we shut it down pronto...talk about blue sky ideas...

Literally did what you suggest...I'll never do that again. What a waste of money.

All the same, you are talking about what goals to set...I'm talking about how to set them.
Using both yours and mine, the OP is well covered.