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Consistent progress starts small.
Discover how minor improvements in your systems, team habits, and client experience can lead to serious gains across your practice.
Continuous Improvement Tools
In the dynamic world of veterinary business, achieving sustainable growth and efficiency requires more than great medical care - it demands ongoing evaluation, streamlined processes, and engaged teams.
Continuous improvement tools, methodologies, and principles help veterinary businesses:
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Reduce waste
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Improve client experiences, and
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Foster a culture of ongoing growth.
This outline categorizes these tools and approaches to help you explore their general types and find techniques that may fit your needs.
You’ll notice that several tools or philosophies appear in multiple categories, as they can serve various purposes depending on how they are applied. For example, a method used to reduce errors in clinical workflows may also enhance team collaboration or optimize resource management.
Below, you’ll find an overview of key continuous improvement tools, from error-proofing techniques and resource optimization to strategic leadership approaches. Whether you're focusing on process mapping, bottleneck management, or quality control, each tool has its role in creating better outcomes for patients, clients, and teams.
If you’re new to continuous improvement methodologies 👉 check out our Getting Started with Continuous Improvement in Veterinary Practices blog for practical tips on where to begin.
Note:
* indicates a statistical-heavy tool, which may be better suited for production, lab, or manufacturing setting
Continuous Improvement Philosophies
Toyota Philosophies: The Toyota Way
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The Toyota Production System (TPS)
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Kaizen (Continuous Improvement)
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Gemba Kaizen
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Jidoka (Automation with a Human Touch)
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5S Methodology
Lean & Waste-Reduction
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Lean Principles
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Value Stream Mapping
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Just-In-Time (JIT) Inventory Management
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5S Methodology
Workflow Improvement
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Gemba Kaizen
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Zero Defects Philosophy
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Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) *(depends)
Policy Deployment
Hoshin Kanri
Quality Improvement
Deming’s Philosophy (14 Points of Management)
Total Quality Management (TQM)
Cyclical Methodologies
PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act)
Agile Methodology
Efficiency & Waste
Process Improvement
Error Prevention
Poka-Yoke
Jidoka (Automation with a Human Touch)
Improving Efficiency
Lean Principles
5S Methodology
Workflow Improvements
Gemba Kaizen
Zero Defects Philosophy
Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) *(depends)
Total Quality Management (TQM)
Process Improvement (Continued)
Bottleneck and Constraint-Focused Methodologies
Theory of Constraints (TOC)
Process Mapping
Incremental Improvements
Gemba Kaizen
Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) *(depends)
PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act)
Agile Methodology
Visual Evaluations
Process Mapping
Swimlane Diagrams
Value Stream Mapping
Safety Improvement
Poka-Yoke
5S Methodology
Inventory Management
Just-In-Time (JIT) Inventory Management
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Value Stream Mapping
Waste Reduction & Resource Optimization
Lean Principles
Just-In-Time (JIT) Inventory Management
Theory of Constraints (TOC)
Value Stream Mapping
Energy Efficiency Audits
Circular Economy
Task Automation
Jidoka (Automation with a Human Touch)
Strategy & Stakeholders
Strategic Approaches
Systems Thinking
Total Quality Management (TQM)
ISO Standards * - Check suppliers
Blue Ocean Strategy
Leadership/Management Principles
Deming’s Philosophy (14 Points of Management)
Servant Leadership
Hoshin Kanri
Team-Empowerment & Collaboration
The Toyota Production System (TPS)
Kaizen (Continuous Improvement)
Total Quality Management (TQM)
Appreciative Inquiry (AI)
Open-Book Management
Servant Leadership
Client Experience Improvement & User-Centric Approaches
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Customer Journey Mapping
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Value Stream Mapping
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Total Quality Management (TQM)
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Quality Function Deployment
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Design Thinking
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Service Design Thinking
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Net Promoter Score (NPS)
Corporate Social Responsibility
Consideration of All Stakeholders
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
Triple Bottom Line (TBL)
Employees
Servant Leadership
Appreciative Inquiry (AI)
Open-Book Management
Environment
Energy Efficiency Audits
Circular Economy
Quality Control & Data
Quality Management
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Total Quality Management (TQM)
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Quality Function Deployment (QFD)
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Deming’s Philosophy (14 Points of Management)
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Zero Defects Philosophy
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Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) *(depends)
Statistical Quality Control of Services
Six Sigma * - For Services
DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) *
Data Evaluation
Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Tracking
Dashboard Reporting
Net Promoter Score (NPS)
Other Areas
Risk Management
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Total Quality Management (TQM)
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Quality Function Deployment (QFD)
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Deming’s Philosophy (14 Points of Management)
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Zero Defects Philosophy
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Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) *(depends)
Statistical Quality Control of Services
Six Sigma * - For Services
DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) *
Data Evaluation
Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Tracking
Dashboard Reporting
Net Promoter Score (NPS)
Tools for Production & Lab Animal Medicine, Manufacturing
Statistical Quality Control of Production
Six Sigma* - For Production/Manufacturing
Statistical Process Control (SPC) *
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