Business and administration
Improvement technician
Responsible for delivery and coaching of improvement activity within an area of responsibility.
Summary
Improvement Technicians are responsible for delivery and coaching of improvement activity within an area of responsibility, often associated with Lean and Six Sigma methodologies. They can be found across all industry sectors and functions including automotive, banking, engineering, food products, IT, property, retail, telecoms Local and County Councils, NHS, Voluntary / Charity, Utilities, Pharmaceuticals, Insurance, Hospitality etc. Typically, Technicians work as a member of an operational team to resolve problems - preventing re-occurrence, engaging others in issues affecting them and to support the improvement of performance.
Typical job titles include
- Business Improvement Co-ordinator | Continuous Improvement Executive | Environmental Compliance Technician | Environmental Construction Oversight | Environmental Health And Safety Inspector | Lean Six Sigma Yellow belt and Quality Control Analyst | Operational Excellence/Lean Engineer | Process Technician | Transportation Planner | Environmental improvement compliance technician | Environmental improvement health and safety inspector | Transportation sustainability improvement planner
Knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs)
K1:
Compliance: Legislative and customer compliance requirements including environment and health and safety
K2:
Team formation & leadership: Improvement team roles and responsibilities in a change environment
K3:
Self-development: Different sources for knowledge development
K4:
Project management: Project charter, Gantt chart, reporting documentation, Red Amber Green (RAG) status, communication (verbal and non-verbal channels) and implementation plans
K5:
Change management: Roles of the manager and leader within change. Influencing, reinforcement and coaching principles
K6:
Principles & methods: Six Sigma principles per ISO13053 (International Organisation for Standardisation), interim containment actions, Lean principles
K7:
Project selection & scope: Selection matrix, scoping tree
K8:
Problem definition: Exploratory data analysis, data collection planning, problem and goal statements
K9:
Process mapping & analysis: Supplier Input Process Output Customer (SIPOC), process mapping, value and waste analysis, performance metrics - discrete data
K10:
Data acquisition for analysis: Data stratification, sampling theory, data types, variation types and sources, data collection tools, operational definition and principles of measurement error
K11:
Basic statistics & measures: Control charts - discrete data
K12:
Process capability & performance: Capability analysis - continuous data
K13:
Root cause analysis: Histograms
K14:
Experimentation: Active analysis versus one factor at a time, Plan Do Check Act
K15:
Identification & prioritisation: Brainstorming, selection criteria
K16:
Sustainability & control: Process
Technical Educational Products
- ST0193: Improvement technician (Level 3) Approved for delivery
- Reference:
- OCC0193
- Status:
Approved occupation
- Average (median) salary:
- £34,352 per year
- SOC 2020 code:
- 3116 Planning, process and production technicians
- SOC 2020 sub unit groups:
- 3116/00 Planning, process and production technicians
- 2482/02 Quality assurance professionals
- 3113/99 Engineering technicians n.e.c.
S1:
Compliance: Work in accordance with organisational controls and statutory regulations
S2:
Communication: Share improvement progress through appropriate reporting
S3:
Project management: Plan, manage and implement improvement activities. Identify and support management of risks. Develop the business case for improvement activity and implementation
S4:
Change management: Engage through communications. Reinforce – positively and negatively. Effectively coach peers
S5:
Principles and methods: Use a structured method and appropriate improvement tools engaging with subject matter experts to deliver business benefits
S6:
Project selection and Scoping: Identify and scope improvement projects and establish clear measurable objectives
S7:
Problem definition: Develop a problem/opportunity statement supported by validated data
S8:
Voice of the customer: Apply techniques to identify customers, their requirements and translate these to metrics
S9:
Process mapping & analysis: Apply process mapping tools to visualise processes, analyse process performance establishing key insights for performance improvement
S10:
Lean tools: Apply techniques such as identification and removal of 8 wastes, 5S (Sort, Shine, Set, Standardise, Sustain), standard work, kaizen, visual displays and controls, error proofing, preventative maintenance
S11:
Data acquisition for analysis: Develop data collection plan and validated measurement processes to understand performance
S12:
Basic statistics & measures: Establish patterns and trends in data over time using tally, pie, run/trend and pareto charts
S13:
Data analysis-statistical methods: Identify common and special cause variation
S14:
Process capability & performance: Analyse product/process performance using good quality data
S15:
Root cause analysis: Use cause and effect diagrams, technique of 5 whys and graphical analysis to understand and verify root causes
S16:
Identification & prioritisation: Identify and prioritise improvement solutions
S17:
Benchmarking: Recognise the value of sharing best practice
S18:
Sustainability & control: Create control and reaction plans with detection measures, identify opportunities to embed changes to leverage benefit to the business.
Technical Educational Products
- ST0193: Improvement technician (Level 3) Approved for delivery
Technical education progression
- Reference:
- OCC0193
- Status:
- Approved occupation
- Average (median) salary:
- £34,352 per year
- SOC 2020 code:
- 3116 Planning, process and production technicians
- SOC 2020 sub unit groups:
- 3116/00 Planning, process and production technicians
- 2482/02 Quality assurance professionals
- 3113/99 Engineering technicians n.e.c.
B1:
Drive for results: Clear commitment for identifying opportunities and delivering improvements, pays attention to detail
B2:
Team-working: Helps when asked, works effectively in a diverse team, considers impact of own actions on others, motivates peers
B3:
Professionalism: Acts in a moral, legal and socially appropriate manner, aligns behaviours to the organisations values, trusted to working on own when appropriate
B4:
Continuous development: Acts upon feedback, reflects on performance and has a desire for learning
B5:
Safe working: Ensures safety of self and others, challenges safety#
Technical Educational Products
- ST0193: Improvement technician (Level 3) Approved for delivery Technical education progression
- Reference:
- OCC0193
- Status:
- Approved occupation
- Average (median) salary:
- £34,352 per year
- SOC 2020 code:
- 3116 Planning, process and production technicians
- SOC 2020 sub unit groups:
- 3116/00 Planning, process and production technicians
- 2482/02 Quality assurance professionals
- 3113/99 Engineering technicians n.e.c.
