Quantum Improvement Method

Quantum Improvement Method is a way to quickly find the types of technology and where to implement it in and organization to get exponential increases in productivity. Quantum Improvement identifies technologies by certain characteristics ordering them by increasingly productive levels. Technologies at the next level produce orders of magnitude greater productivity than the next lower level.

The method draws from the Theory of Constraints to find the weak link in an organization and target that spot for improvement. Using this targeted approach and the simple level categories it’s very easy to pin point how to get the maximum return on investment from technology.

Levels

Each level improves on the next. Because each level is fundamentally different it produces 10 - 100 times the productivity of the previous level.

Level 1 – Human power

Human power is anything done by a person without any tools. The only way to increase productivity at this level is to add more people or work more hours

Level 2 – Simple Tools

Simple tools focus human power to increase the productivity of each person.
There's a wider range of improvements. A stone ax can be improved to a steel ax or a saw. But productivity is limited by physical capability of a person.
Examples: Saw, hammer, magnifying glass, paper & pencil, stairs, bucket.

Level 3 – External Power

External Power is where you start seeing big improvements. This level is where brain over brawn really becomes a factor.
Again the range is wider. It can be as simple as harnessing an animal or the wind right up to electricity, gasoline engines and nuclear power.
Examples: telephone, horse drawn carriage, automobile, chain saw, fire.

Level 4 – Organization

Organization is all about information. This level is an amplifier to any other level.
You can add Level 4 to any other level but you don’t see significant improvements until you have the productivity of Level 3 to multiply.
Examples: Assembly line, specialization.

Level 5 – Automation

Level 5 is automation, the highest level. At this point the technology is acting as a person would.
In essence the whole scale has started again with the technology being the new Level 1.
Examples: anti-lock brakes, voice mail, Internet, robots, genetic engineering.

History

In 1997 Mark Frazier created the Quantum Improvement Method after noticing many organizations implement technology and see very little benefits. He wondered why two different organizations would implement the same technology and one would get huge benefits and the other might not get any at all.

The Theory of Constraints helped figure out why two organizations would get different results. But applying TOC to technology was difficult because there wasn’t a good way to measure the productivity of technology since different organizations were getting such varied results.

Even if the output of technology could be measured it took too much effort. Something quick and easy was needed. The Levels of Technology solved the problems. It was very easy to identify the level of any device or method. Since each level created 10 to 100 times the benefit of a lower level it’s very quick and easy to evaluate an organization and prescribe a solution.

Quantum Improvement Method has been used to find solutions for government and industry including: Zurich Financial Services, US Department of Justice, and SKF Group.

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