The Monitoring Plan tracks the process, looking for indications of anything going wrong, while the Response Plan identifies what actions to take if something does go wrong and who will do it.

The Monitoring & Response Plan is the key to holding the gains you’ve worked so hard to achieve. It’s one of the essential tools the Process Owner provides to manage the process after the project team leader has moved on.

Every Monitoring Plan should monitor the goal statement measure, so you can confirm that performance continues to be satisfactory. The Goal Statement measure is usually an Output indicator, a lagging, or “after the fact” indicator. By the time you see it, you’ve done the work. If the outcome is unfavorable, it’s too late to change it.

For this reason, it’s important to have one or more leading indicators—things you can measure or observe that tip you off to a condition that may lead to an unfavorable outcome—before it happens, so you can intervene to correct the emerging problem. These are typically Input or Process indicators.

Add any other necessary measures, but don’t go overboard. Every measure will cost time and effort, so make sure it’s worth it!

Kure guides you through each step in creating a Monitoring & Response Plan by asking simple questions and providing guidance along the way. Powered by our Process Optimization Path® (artificial intelligence), Kure will help you and your teams collaborate to complete process improvement projects together.