Tools

15 seconds 30 minutes (15s30m) aims to help anyone identify how they could spend a few extra seconds on a task now which will save someone else 30 minutes or more later on.

To generate lots of new ideas try a brainstorming session. This is a group creative technique to gather a list of ideas.

This is a tool which can help you plan your quality improvement project activities.

A fishbone diagram, also called a cause and effect diagram, or an Ishikawa diagram, is a visualization tool for categorizing the potential causes of a problem, in order to identify its root causes.

Download Fishbone diagram template

This tool will help to generate new ideas. It encourages looking at a situation with fresh eyes, or from a new or different perspective.

Here is our illustrated introduction to quality improvement (QI) The drawings were created as part of our first QI conference, held in July 2019. The booklet explains some of the concepts of improvement work.

Life QI is an online quality improvement (QI) platform that makes it easy for teams to run QI projects and organisations to report on QI activity.

Take a look at this tool to help with your quality improvement project.

Pareto analysis helps to identify changes which will result in the greatest benefits. It is a useful tool when you have to decide between many possible courses of action and resources are limited.

A Pareto chart is a type of chart which contains both bars and a line graph. It displays categories of data in descending order. A Pareto chart will highlight the most important among a set of factors.

Use our project plan templates for your project. There is a full version and a short version.

You can use PDSA cycles to test an idea, by trialling a change on a small scale and assessing its impact.

Use this prioritisation matrix template to help with your quality improvement project.

Process mapping allows you to create a visual picture of how something currently works, capturing every step.

Download Project flow chart

A project idea template to help you when you start a quality improvement project.

Start filling this in when you first begin your quality improvement project.

Run chart is a line graph of data plotted over time. It will help you find trends and patterns. It is a simple way to help analyse information.

Six Thinking Hats® will help you look at things from different perspectives.

SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time bound – and SMART aims can be used to provide a structured approach to developing and designing a work plan.

This involves speaking with all those whose interests should be taken into account, who might include clinicians, administrative colleagues, patients and user groups.

Download Stakeholder map template

Statistical process control (SPC) is a method of quality control which uses statistical methods to monitor and control a process.

A Statistical Process Control (SPC) chart helps to see what is different to the norm. It charts changes over time and shows data plotted in time order.

The sustainability model is a diagnostic tool which will identify strengths and weakenesses in an implementation pla and predict the likelihood of sustainability for an improvement initiative.

This diagnostic tool helps to identify strengths and weaknesses in implementation plans.