Small Improvements Lead to Big Change

One of my favorite quotes is credited to activist and tennis legend Arthur Ashe: “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” I’ve used this quote throughout the years working with professionals facing what may feel like a major project. Improvement work can feel daunting at times. Some may think it requires brand new programs or major overhauls. However, meaningful progress and improvement often begins with small, targeted adjustments and starting where you are, with what you have.

Recently, EvolvEd worked with Energy Trust of Oregon on just such an improvement project. Energy Trust of Oregon’s Net Zero Fellowship offer has been awarding grants to support research to advance net-zero design and technologies, address potential barriers, and grow community involvement for nearly a decade. Fellows have researched the benefits of net-zero schools, reducing energy use in medical office buildings, and mass timber strategies. By all accounts, the program delivers meaningful value for all participants and the market at large.

Even strong programs benefit from periodic reflection and the team felt it could do more to extend the impact of the research even further. EvolvEd worked with Energy Trust of Oregon to bring a fresh perspective and new insight to the team to identify targeted improvements. We analyzed documents, reviewed evaluations, and interviewed the team on their desired outcomes. The project goal was refinement, not redesign.

Another benefit of this work was the opportunity for Energy Trust of Oregon to bring in an external perspective. When a program has been running successfully for years, familiarity can make certain opportunities harder to spot. A consultant can offer fresh eyes, surface patterns that may not be visible internally, and validate the strengths that deserve to be preserved. In this project, that outside perspective helped highlight where small, strategic refinements could strengthen the fellowship experience and amplify the impact of each fellow’s research.

EvolvEd delivered a final report that outlined three improvements the team could implement fairly quickly that could also deliver the desired changes:

• Review the fellowship’s goals and prioritize them

• Define and measure success metrics aligned to the prioritized goals

• Improve audience engagement with the research through differentiated designs

No overhaul of the program. No scrapping what was already working. No strategic plan visioning session. Each recommendation is easy to implement and maintain, an important component of improvement work. Targeted changes are less disruptive than complete overhauls as work can continue with small changes occurring in the background. The recommendations also build on strengths, particularly the recommendation to differentiate audience engagement for the quality research findings from each fellow. Lastly, these focused improvements create momentum without requiring new resources. Instead, the team can utilize existing resources in new ways.

Organizations don’t need to wait for the next strategic planning cycle to rethink improvement. Accessible, right-sized, and easy to implement refinements are a powerful tool for operational improvement. How can we help your organization identify small improvements to create a big impact in your work?