The Hybrid way
ADVISORY ARTICLE
By Eng. Tororiro Isaac Chaza
Harare, Zimbabwe
We are at the time of the year when most companies are planning the year’s activities. Strategic plans are being reviewed and new initiatives are being fashioned. Most companies undertake formal strategic planning sessions. This article looks at a specific concept that companies can adopt to come up with strategies. The concept is called “continuous improvement.”
What is this “continuous improvement”? Let us start by looking at the definition of the concept. Continuous improvement is defined as an ongoing process of identifying, analyzing, and making incremental improvements to systems, processes, products, or services. Its purpose is to drive efficiency, improve quality, and value delivery while minimizing waste, variation, and defects. The continuous improvement process is driven by ongoing feedback, collaboration, and data.
https://businessmap.io/lean-management/improvement/what-is-continuous-improvement/
Continuous improvement is about identifying opportunities always to do better as time progresses. In the VUCA (vulnerable, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) environment we are in, driven by rapid technological advancements, the quest for superior customer experience, and ravenous competition, it is imperative to adapt. Organisations that do not adapt will soon be dodos. The question is how to master the art of continuous improvement to tame the tempest of uncertainty and complexity.
My experience spans Strategic Planning, Operations Management, and Project Management, principally in the ICT sector. My observation, supported by many other pundits, is that organisations are undertaking more projects than operational day-to-day activities. It is said that in the early 60s the ratio between operational activities and project activities, measured by a combination of resources, budgets and management time, was about 80/20. The ratio is now flipping towards 20/80 denoting a highly projectized environment. To quote Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez, “HBR Project Management Handbook – How to Launch, Lead, and Sponsor Successful Projects,” 2023.
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How to cite this work: Chaza, T. I. (2025). Continuous Improvement Strategy: The Hybrid way, advisory, PM World Journal, Vol. XIV, Issue I, January. Available online at https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/pmwj148-Jan2025-Chaza-Continuous-Improvement-Strategy-advisory.pdf
About the Author
Tororiro Isaac Chaza
Harare, Zimbabwe
Eng. Tororiro Isaac Chaza, B. Sc. Eng, MBA, MZwIE, MIET, MIoDZ, PMP®, SMC® has more than 40 years of experience in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Sector. Engineer Chaza is a Project Management Professional (PMP®) and Scrum Master Certified (SMC™). He holds a B. Sc. Engineering Science degree from Warwick University (UK), and a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Zimbabwe. He is a Member of the Zimbabwe Institution of Engineers (MZwIE), a Member of the Institution of Engineering Technology (MIET UK), and Member of the Institute of Directors Zimbabwe (IoDZ).
Tororiro is the Chairman of Ecocash Board of Trustees, chairman of Chase Construction. He is also the Vice Chairman of the Zimbabwe Information and Communication Technology (ZICT) division of the Zimbabwe Institution of Engineers (ZIE). Engineer Chaza is the founder of Torchpmo (Pvt) Ltd, a project management consulting and training entity. He is a seasoned trainer for PMP®, Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) and Agile Scrum courses. He is a thought leader and advocate on the subjects encompassing Digital Transformation, Artificial Intelligence, and Project Management, subjects on which he has written a number of articles. He can be contacted at tororiro.chaza@torchpmo.com
