Using Continuous Improvement in Everyday College Life

By: Kaitlyn Wilder ’22

When people ask about my labor position, I am usually met with a blank stare and a slight shake of the head when I announce that “I am the Continuous Improvement Assistant.” Then I either try to fully explain everything I do, or accept defeat and say “Yea, no one knows what I do.” This lack of knowledge about Continuous Improvement is a disappointing reality on our campus. I believe, with proper knowledge of lean tools and other concepts found through Continuous Improvement, the lives of students could be more efficient and less stressful if they were to utilize these tools in their daily lives.

There are many examples of ways my fellow students can use lean tools to ease their already hectic and stressful lives here at Berea College. First, discussion of the ways students are not using Continuous Improvement teaching in their lives. A common example of reworking students do on a daily basis deals with their notes. As typical college students, we take several pages of notes a day, sometimes for each class we are taking. Some of my fellow students will do one of two things: 1. They will not take notes, saying they will use the PowerPoints later or 2. They rewrite their notes because they do not like how they took them in class (but they do this every time). Both of these methods pose problems to the students and their time. The class is already taking up time, so you might as well take decent notes. This will save you from having to rewrite the same notes at a later date.

Another common rework students do is writing things down in several places. I am personally guilty of this extra work in my daily life. I tend to write the same thing down in several places when one would suffice. When I only ever look in one place, I should not have to write it in three different places.

Another place I think students could use Continuous Improvement techniques to improve their life is their dorms. If we are being honest, there is no way our resident hall rooms are as clean as they should be all the time. To improve the organization and function of dorm life, a 5S project could be used. While most student do not spend a lot of time in their dorm rooms, it is enough to where it needs to be organized and be functional to better improve how a student uses their time. There are five parts to the 5S (duh), sort, set in order, shine, standardize, and sustain. Each part works together in the whole to create a cohesive space meant for productivity. Productivity does not only have to refer to homework, it can be productively picking out clean clothes, making life easier for your roommate, etc. I am going to walk you through the steps that should be taken in order to properly have a successful 5S project.

Step 1: Sorting

To properly sort, you must remove all unnecessary items in your dorm room. This may include, but is not limited to: trash, items you never use (like those books you swore you’d make time for), and any item that just may not be used at all. Maybe you can also get rid of any clothes you never wear (let’s be real, leggings and sweatshirts for the win).

Step 2: Set in Order

Once all unnecessary items are removed, now you must organize the space. So, writing utensils can be put together, organize your snack bin, tidy up that closet, and get miscellaneous items organized in a way to make things move easier and quicker in the mornings. For example, keep hair products and utensils together if you use them relatively one after the other. Doing that simple task can alleviate the stress you may have getting ready in the mornings (especially for those 8ams)

Step 3: Shine

Shining involves cleaning the space. This can be done simultaneously with step 2.  So those dishes you let fall to the wayside and never cleaned? Scrub them. Have crumbs or dirt on the floor? Get out the vacuum or broom. Wipe down your desk, any dusty items, wash clothes, everything you can do to make your room super clean.

Step 4: Standardize

You are finally done with the brunt of the work. Now you want to be able to see your floor for a long time right? Good! You need to create a standard you can always adhere to. The easiest way to do this would be to take pictures of the space, like first how your bed looks, how under your bed looks, desk, closet, and anywhere else you cleaned. Once the pictures have been taken, put them in places where you can see them. This will help you recognize when things are not in order so you can fix them quickly.

Step 5: Sustain

You have done it. Getting rid of stuff, organizing, cleaning, and standardizing. Now you must maintain this cleanliness. This can be difficult, but you can do it! Follow your pictures, have your roommate hold you accountable, and you will not only have a cleaner room, but you will also be more productive!

You don’t even have to do your whole room with the 5S project. Maybe just your desk is cluttered, or your closet. You can definitely just do one problem area at a time!

The WIP board is also something that can be used to help keep students on track with projects, homework, meetings, and anything else that needs to be completed. WIP stands for Work In Progress. With these boards, a student can keep track of things that are in the “Queue” or not started yet but will be started soon, the Work in Progress which is exactly what it sounds like; it is a work in progress. Finally the “Complete” part of the board is where you put the assignments you have finished. The Queue, WIP, and Complete are just three sections. There are five steps that a bigger project can be put through (in a school context of course).

A WIP board can be created with a white board (can be of any size depending on how many projects you create) or there are websites/apps that can be used. A popular one is called Trello, an electronic WIP board that can be accessed easily on a laptop.

To conclude, there are several ways college students can implement (see a WIP board word) Continuous Improvement. Whether that be 5S-ing your room, not reworking notes, or creating a personalized WIP board, life can be made more lean (see a Continuous Improvement term) and more efficient.