This page offers practical tools to plan, run and measure your improvement project. Each tool includes guidance on when and how to use it.
Improvement science guide
Work through the 12 steps of a quality improvement project, with tools and methods to use at each stage.
Aim statement
Set a clear aim statement to focus your team and give your improvement project a measurable goal.
Brainstorming
Generate ideas quickly as a team to surface the possible causes of a problem, or possible solutions to try.
Multi and weighted voting
Narrow a long list of ideas down to the priorities your team will work on, using multi and weighted voting.
Flow chart
Map the steps in a process visually to find where things break down, slow down or vary from the intended path.
Affinity diagram
Sort a long list of brainstormed ideas into themes so your team can see patterns and decide what to act on next.
Driver diagram
Plan a quality improvement project with a driver diagram by mapping aim, drivers and change ideas.
Cause-and-effect diagram
Identify and group the causes of a problem on a fishbone diagram, also called an Ishikawa or cause and effect diagram.
Model for Improvement
Apply the Model for Improvement with PDSA cycles to test changes and check whether they lead to improvement.
Failure modes and effects
Conduct a systematic, proactive analysis of a process in which harm may occur.
Environmental sustainability in quality improvement
Plan, deliver and measure quality improvement projects that reduce environmental impact.