Course – Lesson 1: VII. Frameworks
LESSON 1:VII – Q+A with authors Katherine Ortega Courtney, PhD and Dominic Cappello
What is CQI (Continuous Quality Improvement)?
Katherine Ortega Courtney, PhD responds:
Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) is the ongoing process of identifying, describing, and analyzing strengths and problems and then testing, implementing, learning from, and revising solutions.
Key actions of the CQI Process
- Identify an issue using data or some other reliable source of information.
- Research ideas around the reasoning behind that issue and the current level of performance.
- Set a time-bound, measurable goal the team wishes to achieve after reviewing the issue.
- Develop action steps to address the issue.
- Action steps should include the person/people responsible and the target date for completion of the action step.
- Track and adjust the action steps to determine if planned interventions are working.
- Close the feedback loop by sharing the information learned with others.
Who is involved in Continuous Quality Improvement?
Dominic Cappello responds:
CQI is the framework that will be guiding all action teams in the 100% Community Initiative. Every stakeholder involved in a particular sector should have at least a basic understanding of the CQI framework. With some projects the problem identified may be a lack of quality on the part of a particular agency. If this is the case, the action teams may propose to the agency leadership that CQI may be used to address agency challenges.
What are the key components of the CQI cycle?
Katherine Ortega Courtney, PhD responds:
Assess: Using data, identify improvement opportunities and resources.
Plan: After analyzing data, build a measurable plan.
Act: Implement plan with measurable outcomes.
Evaluate: Monitor progress with all stakeholders.
Why is CQI a team process?
Dominic Cappello responds:
CQI cannot operate in a vacuum. Objectives, goals, and implementation are shared responsibilities and activities. When the team shares an understanding of the process, the team can move forward as one.
When an action team works together, CQI is fully supported.
What is the importance of quality data for CQI?
Katherine Ortega Courtney, PhD responds:
We need quality data that is accurate and timely in order to assess a challenge. Data need to be current and analyzed with care to support the entire CQI process. Our action teams focused on the surviving and thriving services will be in contact with a wide variety of agencies providing specific services. Data will need to guide all attempts at improvement.
What is the possible impact of CQI on a Community and the agencies within it?
Dominic Cappello responds:
Positive Responses
- Opens up all aspects of work to possible improvement.
- Frees up ways of thinking about work (“we’ve never done it that way before”).
- Reframes the idea of failure. Turns it into an experiment.
- Makes it a process of discovery and adaptation.
- Allows for growth and encourages growth.
- Helps to keep priorities upfront.
- Can change the culture of the office/organization.
- Improves organizational accountability.
- Refines service delivery process.
- Supports flexibility when meeting service needs change.
- Enhances information management, client tracking and documentation.
- Lends itself to design of new programs & program components.
- Allows creative/innovative solutions.
Negative or Disruptive Responses
People may feel threatened by CQI and use of data to assess their work. People feel a sense of loss as the old way of making decisions (by hunch, or idea of a higher up) is traded in for a data-driven process. See the section on adaptive leadership.
