Level 4 Improvement Practitioner

An 18-month Improvement Practitioner programme

Programme Overview:

Improvement Practitioners use a blend of Lean and Six Sigma, project and change management principles to identify and lead the delivery of change across organisational functions and processes.   

Typically, Practitioners lead smaller projects and /or play a key supporting role in a larger programme – tackling issues that may require swift problem solving or re-occurring challenges that require in-depth analysis and the implementation of a range of effective and sustainable countermeasures. They are a focal point for all stakeholders and responsible for communication throughout a project. 

Typical activities include: 

Identifying potential opportunities, diagnosing issues, proposing solutions and implementing changes and controls. 
Coaching teams and sharing best practice 
When leading projects, they may manager small teams ensuring motivation and momentum, and be responsible for the success.

There are a variety of job titles associated with the occupation, these include, but are not limited to: Business Improvement Practitioner, Continuous Improvement Manager, Process Excellence Manager, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and Quality Control Senior Analyst.

What you will learn – Knowledge and understanding of:

Compliance: Legislative and customer compliance requirements including health and safety.
Team formation and leadership: Decision-making techniques e.g., consensus, authority rule, majority rule.
Project management: Business case, risk analysis and management, toll-gate reviews, work breakdown structure, lessons learned, pilot studies, project review, process management and measures, benefits tracking.
Presentation and reporting: Reporting templates, message mapping, case for change.
Change management: Stakeholder identification, analysis and management (RACI). Change curve, resistance characteristics, change sponsorship, compelling point of view.
Principles and methods: Business value of Lean and Six Sigma improvement methods – 8D, practical problem solving, Define Measure Analyse Improve Control, Design for Six Sigma.
Project selection and scope: Y=f(x) equation (outputs are the result of inputs), business scorecard cascade.
Problem definition: Cost of Poor Quality, problem analysis models such as Is/Is Not.
Process mapping and analysis: Swim Lane, value stream map, performance metrics – continuous, Parameter diagram, Takt time, Overall Equipment Effectiveness, theory of constraints principles, Kanban.
Data analysis – basic tools: Spreadsheets and pivot table analysis, statistical analysis software.
Measurement systems: Repeatability and Reproducibility principles.
Basic statistics and measures: Control charts – attribute data, principles of normality.
Data analysis – statistical methods: Measures of central tendency and spread.
Process capability and performance: Capability analysis – continuous data for normal distribution.
Root cause analysis: Key principles including symptoms, failure-mode, potential/verified cause, critical inputs, escape point. Graphical representation of data with dot, scatter and box plots.
Experimentation: Active versus passive analytics, design of experiments, experiment plan.
Identification and prioritisation: Selection and prioritisation matrix, Failure Mode and Effects Analysis.

Improvement Practitioners have the skills within the context of their own organisation to:

Compliance: Work in accordance with organisational controls and statutory regulations.
Communication: Speak and write clearly. Influence others, question effectively. Plan and deliver meetings presenting insight to engage audiences.
Coaching: Observe, listen, use questioning, provide feedback and spot learning opportunities.
Project management: Define, sequence, plan and schedule activities with phases and milestones. Estimate effort and duration. Create and update project charter. Review progress.
Change management: Sponsorship contract, surface and manage resistance, build compelling narratives for change, assess change impact.
Principals and Methods: Select and apply a structured method and appropriate improvement tools engaging with subject matter experts to deliver business benefits.
Project selection and Scoping: Support the identification of improvement opportunity and the scoping of these projects.
Problem definition: Support development of problem/opportunity statements.
Voice of the customer: Support application of techniques to identify and prioritise customers, their requirements and ensure balance against the stated and unstated needs of the business (Voice of the Business).
Process mapping and analysis: Process map to measure and analyse flow and value. Identify interfaces, functional responsibilities and ownership. Use insight to identify potential opportunities and map future state.
Lean tools: Seek in-process waste through understanding of value within the value stream.
Measurements systems: Plan, carry out and assess results of a measurement system study.
Data acquisition for analysis: Develop a sampling strategy.
Basic statistics and measures: Use graphical analysis to understand distribution and stability.
Data analysis-statistical methods: Identify data-types and select analysis methods and tools. Assess time series data stability and analyse making relevant insight.
Process capability and performance: Select methods and metrics for analysis.
Root cause analysis: Select and apply the appropriate graphical tool dependent on the data type to identify patterns, trends and signals to establish hypothesis.
Experimentation and optimisation: Plan designed experiment with clear objectives, and appropriate levels of Measurement Systems Analysis, analyse experiment data and optimise.
Identification and prioritisation: Identify and prioritise factors, ideas and solutions.
Data analysis – SPC: Select and apply appropriate tools for ongoing monitoring and control. Analyse and interpret control charts.
Benchmarking: Conduct structured benchmarking to support target setting.
Sustainability and control: Identify failure modes and embed learning from improvements.

Improvement Practitioners demonstrate the following behaviours: 

Drive for results: Continuous drive for change and encourages others to deliver results across functional areas capturing and standardising best practice. 
Team-working: Awareness of own and others’ working styles. Creates high performing team. 
Professionalism: Promotes a moral, legal and socially appropriate working manner, aligns behaviours to the organisation’s values. Maintains flexibility to needs of project. 
Continuous development: Proactively seeks and acts on feedback. Reflects on performance and has a desire for development. Adapts quickly to working with new situations/stakeholders/challenges. 
Safe working: Ensures safety of self and others, speaks out to challenge safety issues.

How is the course assessed?

Full time work-based learners will typically spend 16/18 months on-programme working towards the apprenticeship standard, with a minimum of 20% off this time being off-the-job training. 

Learners without English and Maths at a level 2 must achieve level 2 prior to taking their End Point Assessment (EPA). 

The end point assessment should only start once the employer is satisfied that the gateway requirements for EPA have been met and that the learner is consistently working at or above the level set out in the standard. 

Through the journey to the gateway with GEM Partnership you will complete a set of mini gateways ensuring that you are ready to take the EPA.  

The EPA consists of three distinct assessment methods: - 

Multiple choice examination – to assess knowledge elements of the standard 
Project report, presentation and questioning – to holistically assess knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs) in the standard 
Professional discussion underpinned by log – to holistically assess KSBs across the standard.

Performance in the EPA will determine the learner grade of fail, pass, merit or distinction. 