At IOP Publishing, we aim to be adaptable in a changing world. We use Continuous Improvement (CI) to deliver large-scale benefits by focusing on small-scale problems in a structured way.
CI provides a framework for our staff to assess processes and ways of working, and challenge those that are inefficient or do not deliver results. Identifying waste (of time, effort, money, etc) and doing something about it lets us focus on activities that add value to the organisation and our customers.
Anything that affects the quality of what we do is a target for improvement. Quality is defined by our customers, and we take pride in using feedback to trigger improvement projects.
Nick Gibson, our Continuous Improvement Manager, explained: “Our CI vision is that every individual at IOP Publishing asks themselves every day how they could make their job a bit better and deliver more value for our customers, whether internal or external. Our staff are empowered and equipped with the freedom and skills to enable them to solve problems, so they never recur”.
Examples of current or recently-completed CI projects include:
- Adding links to Publishing Support pages to relevant emails, providing timely information for authors on how to respond to reviewer feedback and promote their work post-publication
- Clarification of customer-facing information, to aid authors when submitting their work
- Engaging directly with authors to see how we can make our article transfer recommendations more effective
- Clarifying and recording internal best practice so we give a consistent service to our customers and reduce frustrations
We regularly assess our CI efforts to ensure we are effectively working on the evolution of our products, services and staff. Our aim is to help our customers achieve their publishing goals.
Authors and reviewers can contribute their improvement ideas by emailing improvements@ioppublishing.org.