This toolkit is designed for people who have little, if any, Focus training. It will help you think about getting started on improving your ways of working.
The Focus Approach describes a mind-set - one that continually seeks out better ways of working, combined with a set of tools and techniques to help bring these 'better ways' to fruition.
The toolkit introduces 26 common Focus tools, providing you with key concepts, examples, and some templates. Each tool provides cross references to other tools: these are highlighted in blue text in the PDF learning resources.
Focus provides a structured approach to using the tools according to the stage of an improvement project at which you might use them. However, they may also be used independently of a project setting. You can access the Toolkit via the icons for the Focus project stages below - or via an A-Z List of tools.
Focus tools and techniques aim to support continuous improvement and in this spirit the toolkit will evolve and be updated. If you have comments or ideas please get in touch: enquiries@focus.ox.ac.uk.
'We pointed our Project Managers towards the Focus "5 Why's" tool for problem analysis. It prompted useful discussion. We used it to gain clarity on the root causes of some issues we were encountering on projects. This is one small example of how Focus tools can aid a clearer, crisper understanding to enable sound and reasoned decision making.'
