By David M. Williams, Ph.D. Photo by Luis Quintero on Unsplash Camp Gladiator is a $60 million dollar Austin fitness company started by a married couple and former American Gladiator contestants. Its mission is to impact the physical fitness and lives of as many people as possible with a program of high-intensity interval training and […]
Benchmarking – How do we compare?
in Health Care, Improvement Science, Measurement, Tools & Methods, VariationBy David M. Williams, Ph.D. No one likes to talk about dying. Sudden death due to heart disease occurs 250,000 times a year in the United States. A person is just living their life and unexpectedly their heart stops. Just like that…you’re officially clinically dead. Not so fast. If this happens when you’re not […]
Back-of-the-Envelope Problem Solving
in Education, Implementation, Improvement Science, PDSA, Systems, Tools & MethodsBy David M. Williams, Ph.D. The Breakthrough Series Collaborative model is an improvement learning system that brings teams together to pursue a shared aim. Teams use an evidence-based change theory and improvement methods including the Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) Cycle and time-series data (run charts and Shewhart Control Charts). In the Institute for Healthcare […]
Problem-Solving by Learning From the Process
in Improvement Science, Knowledge, Systems, Tools & Methods, VariationBy David M. Williams, Ph.D. Photo by Bluehouse Skis on Unsplash Let’s face it…patient care documentation is not the most enjoyable aspect of clinical care delivery. It takes time, the electronic medical record isn’t user friendly, and caregivers have a lot going on. It’s no surprise improving clinical documentation is a common improvement opportunity for a […]
Control Charts – What’s in a name?
in Measurement, Tools & Methods, Variationby David M. Williams, Ph.D. Provost & Murray. (2010). Health Care Data Guide. Figure 14.18. P. 127 Have you taken one of those silly quizzes on social media that ask you to answer several questions and then it tells you what political candidate is most like you or what part of the country you’re from? […]
What’s the worst thing you’ve ever seen?
in COVID-19, Systems, Tools & MethodsBy David M Williams, PhD Photo by Benjamin Voros on Unsplash I’m not the best at small talk. A closet introvert, I’m not the first one to start a conversation. That doesn’t mean I don’t like meeting new people, getting to know them, or going to parties. In Steve Harper’s book The Ripple Effect, when […]
Lowering the Water Level
in COVID-19, Tools & MethodsBy David M Williams, PhD Photo by Abel’s Shots on Unsplash “Two boxes of mac & cheese, four packs of Nutella & Go, six Cliff Bars…..Dad, these anchovies expired in 2017,” my son Nate called out as he inventoried our pantry and refrigerator and tossed out what was expired. As the stay-at-home order hit […]
Is it the method or my knowledge and execution?
in Improvement Science, PDSA, Public Safety, Tools & MethodsBy David M. Williams, PhD If you experience chest pain and dial 911 in most communities, an ambulance will respond in a timely and predictable manner to render aid. Many people don’t realize that modern ambulance service is a relatively new public service and began to professionalize in the 1970s. This predictability and reliability was […]
Tracking Project Progress
in Measurement, Tools & MethodsBy David M. Williams, Ph.D. Improvement projects follow a trajectory from forming a team and chartering through achieving sustainable results. Whether leading a single project or monitoring a portfolio, having a strategy for gauging project progress is useful in identifying projects that are stuck and in supporting movement forward. One useful tool the Institute for […]
Selecting an Ideal Improvement Project
in Tools & MethodsBy David M. Williams, Ph.D. There are many types of activities that are labeled “projects,” but not all are “improvement projects” aimed at changing the underlying process or system to get a different measurable result. Other projects may not be ideal for a host of reasons. It’s common for novice improvers to have trouble picking […]