ADVISORY ARTICLE
By Madison Lundquist
Principal Research Lead
Process and Performance Management
APQC
Texas, USA
When it is done well and managed effectively, process improvement is always a good business investment. Whether by making project management more efficient with new technologies, standardizing how work is carried out, removing process bottlenecks, or something else, process improvement teams and programs are well-positioned to make significant contributions to project management and beyond.
The American Productivity & Quality Center (APQC) has found that leadership teams are generally supportive of process improvement efforts. Over half of respondents to our Best Practices in Process Improvement survey (55%)[1] said that leaders usually welcome process improvement opportunities and understand the importance of process efforts. Only 11% said that leaders typically avoid process work and do not understand the importance of process efforts.
When leaders buy-in and support process improvement work, they can vastly improve the trajectory of process improvement initiatives. However, some leaders aren’t sure how or where they can help and may be hesitant to contribute as a result. Respondents to our survey identified at least five important ways that leaders can support process improvement efforts:
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- Show an understanding of the importance of process improvement work (64% of respondents)
- Support opportunities and initiatives through statements and buy-in (58%)
- Give employees the time to complete process work (49%)
- Provide training opportunities for staff (39%)
- Allocate budget to process improvement efforts (38%)
This article describes each of these forms of support in more detail and will provide both leaders and process improvement project managers with tools and tactics to drive process improvement initiatives in their organizations.
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How to cite this article: Lundquist, M. (2025). Five Ways Leaders Can Support Process Improvement, PM World Journal, Vol. XIV, Issue VI, June. Available online at https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/pmwj153-Jun2025-Lundquist-Five-Ways-Leaders-Can-Support-Process-Improvement.pdf
About the Author
Madison Lundquist
Texas, USA
As Principal Research Lead, Madison Lundquist develops and executes APQC’s research agenda for process and performance management and serves as subject matter expert. She interviews leading organizations on their practices, identifies key findings from the research projects, and shares the approaches and best practices organizations use to manage process, improve organizational agility, and continuously improve.
Email: mlundquist@apqc.org | Web: www.apqc.org
[1] APQC. Best Practices in Process Improvement 2024: Survey Report, APQC, September 2024.
