• Taking “voice of the customer” training, which advocates direct input from clients to improve a process or service
• Shadowing nurses to better understand their perspective and identify the root causes of complaints about late or missing medication
• Starting the morning shift 30 minutes earlier to ensure timely delivery of medications

What can your team do to listen to the voice of your customers? Especially if those customers are fellow employees in a different department? 

• Following the successful practice of another team that solved the same problem
• Offering kid-friendly food like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
• Creating restaurant style menus with imagery of zoo animals

What can your team do to listen to the voice of the patient? And how could your team learn from other teams that have tackled challenges similar to yours?

• Creating a "tick sheet" for staff to note how much paper and toner is wasted
• Figuring how often IT is called and how many patients are affected
• Getting authorization for newer and more efficient printers

What can your team do to build a business case for better equipment? What else could your team do to reduce wasted time and effort?

• Educating about the proper use of VTE orders for post-operative patients
• Coordinating with pharmacists and other teams to ensure orders are followed
• Outlining how the Joint Commission's SCIP guidelines can help improve compliance

 What can your team do to work with other teams to improve outcomes for patients? 

• Keeping gurneys and equipment where they are needed, and having staff speak with patients during transport
• Cleaning and making the gurneys with sheets and blankets before they are needed
• Designating a staff member to ensure equipment is placed where needed

What can your team do to make the best use of your "down time"?

• Hanging posters of cute kids as hand-washing reminders
• Installing sanitizer dispensers in and outside of patient rooms
• Making eye contact and talking with patients while washing hands

What can your team do motivate peers to hold each other accountable? 

• Identifying the number of patients off telemetry monitoring for longer than 3 minutes and why
• Huddling to discuss the severity and consequences of the problem
• Creating reminders to check monitors, and make it part of the routine

What can your team do hardwire improvements you make into your workflow?

• Using key phrases in malnutrition assessment to catch the attention of physicians
• Bolding their recommendations in notes to doctors
• Speaking directly to physicians about potentially malnourished patients

What can your team do to improve cooperation between physicians and other members of the care team?

• Pairing a nurse with a buddy to help with patient response
• Designating backups to the buddies
• Communicating with the appropriate nurse the patient’s needs

What can your team do to allocate staff time and attention effectively and strategically?