How One Remodeler Implements Continuous Improvement
Job Title: President and Co-Founder
I founded Thayer Design Build in 2014 and today our eight team members serve Corvalis, Oregan, and the surrounding area. We’re a strong, award winning company and I’m proud of our success, workplace culture, and high performing team. We all want to be here and build something significant, and that passion and excitement in the company is contagious.
Kaizen, or constant improvement, is the secret behind Thayer Design Build’s journey from handyman service to award winning powerhouse.
One of our core values is the idea of Kaizen, or continuous improvement. Some business leaders are content doing the same thing for decades, and so Kaizen is not for them. But if you’re the right personality type, it’s addictive. Today I feel bad when I’m not actively growing as a person and leader.
The idea behind Kaizen is not to blow up your business, instead it’s all about small incremental changes that, when taken together, have a big effect. Little tweaks here and there really add up over time. Here are five ways that we incorporate Kaizen into our work model.
Mention the Concept Frequently and Keep it Top of Mind
Core values don’t mean anything unless you shine a light on them at every opportunity. During team meetings we always talk about how we’re embodying continuous improvement as individuals and as a group.
Make Continuous Improvement an Intentional Part of Your Project Debriefs
Currently, we hold two debrief meetings for each project: one for design and one for the build. (I’m considering adding a sales debrief as well.) The conversations happen right at the end of the phase so it’s fresh in our minds, and every meeting contains the same three questions for the team to answer.
- What was something that went well?
This is when we give a shout out to individuals, and celebrate our wins. - What is a personal lesson learned from the project?
- What is a suggestion for process improvement?
Conversations like this can feel awkward so we designed the questions as a driver for process-improvement rather than attacking any one person.
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Schedule a CallUsing Technology Tools More Effectively
Before we signed on with JobTread, we used an outdated, inefficient spreadsheet for estimating. Becoming a JobTread customer has been part of our continuous improvement, and we love its capabilities.
We’re also using Kaizen on how we approach the tool. We started out with JobTread’s core features, slowly built on that, and now we’re implementing even more aspects of the software.
Self Improvement
I apply Kaizen to myself every day. I listen to books, attend conferences whenever I can, and joined Remodelers Advantage to learn from others in the business.
Some of my top books are:
- The 5AM Club by Robin Sharma. A great read about adopting habits that can change your life
- The Highest Calling by Larry Janeski is one of my favorite books.
- Good to Great by Jim Collins. This is a keystone, foundational book.
- The Goal by Eliwahu Goldrat. An incredible look at manufacturing, and the theory of constraints.
- Who Not How by Dan Sullivan. This is a great concept for growth and scaling that has been really beneficial in my own business.
Seeing Opportunities for the Business
Frequently, I look at our company and ask myself, “Where could this be improved?” As a result of that question, we brought design inhouse, hired a great carpenter and admin, and did a deep dive on the way we execute on new initiatives. We don’t want to boil the ocean by starting too many projects at once so the completion of improvement is just as important as seeing the need for it.
Ultimately, Kaizen has fueled much of the growth in my company as each incremental change became part of a catalyst for positive transformation. Learn more about Jared Thayer and Thayer Design Build here.
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