An article in the Wallstreet Journal provides a wonderful example of how implemented best practices and process improvement programs like Six Sigma can go astray after experts move to other projects, Managers relax accountability and excitement fades. The cartoon depicted below by Leif Parsons, gives the perfect illustration of what happens in the progression of these engagements.

The article reveals how at one aerospace company this implementation was executed then returned to the old poor practices.

The first step, as with any improvement program like AA or Six Sigma, is admitting and identify that you have a problem.

In the Aerospace company example, the second step was to bring in help by utilizing an expert in Six Sigma that energized the staff and helped them to understand where they needed to improve. They provided accountability in assigning tasks to these improvements. Employees embraced the new processes and implemented them. At first it slowed productivity, but quickly, as they became more accustomed to the new methods, productivity returned to normal levels. Once the goals of a department were reached, they were communicated with the company as a whole. This empowered the employees and gave them ownership of the project and their achievements. They are also rewarded with other rewards such as, restaurant gift cards, bonuses and exposure through notices in corporate newsletters.

After goals of improvement had been reached in one department, the expert and Managers would move their attention to another project or department assuming the success would sustain itself without continued support. This is where accountability loosens and enthusiasm for the process starts to revert to old practices. You can see this progression in the cartoon.

If you are one of these companies struggling to understand why these programs aren’t continuing to demonstrate results, ask yourself a simple question….What accountability and continued support am I providing my teams so they don’t revert? Think outside the box. You don’t need an expert to solve this problem. You need an expert to identify and fix it originally.  The same goes for eSourcing technology deployments.  Vendors can diagnose the opportunity and implement the technology properly, but sustainability needs to constantly be addressed with either internal or external resources.