Benefit, by what was claimed and what was checked
Benefits are added up only within the same kind and unit, so minutes are never added to pounds. Verified means the result was measured and checked by someone other than the owner.
By month raised
By heading
What the checks found
The checks look for gaps in the record: ideas waiting too long, decisions with no reason, people not told the outcome, and results claimed with no measurement or independent check. They cannot tell whether an idea is good or a measured result is true.
What it is for
Small improvements raised by the people doing the job are one of the best signs of a healthy improvement culture. They also die quickly when ideas disappear without an answer. This log keeps each idea visible from the day it is raised to the day its result is measured, and makes sure the person who raised it hears what happened.
The rules the log applies
- An idea left undecided for more than 14 days is a gap. A week is a note.
- A decision needs a name and a date. Turning an idea down or parking it needs a reason.
- Every decided idea needs a date on which the person who raised it was told.
- An approved idea needs an owner and a due date, and is flagged when overdue.
- A finished idea needs its result measured, a note of how, and a check by someone other than its owner. Without that the benefit shows as claimed, not verified.
- The result cannot be dated before the idea was finished.
Reading the dashboard
The number of ideas is not the aim, and it should never be turned into a league table of people. The log shows how many different people have contributed, but not who. Look at how quickly ideas get a decision, what share of people were told the outcome, and how much benefit was verified. A fall in ideas can mean people stopped believing anything happens, so ask them.
Related tools
For a bigger problem use the A3 Problem Solving Sheet. Follow approved ideas in the Corrective Action Tracker. Problems raised at the board come from the Daily Management Board.
Limits
No gaps found does not mean the ideas are good or the benefits are real. Check your own company procedures. This is decision support only.