High-level quality improvement initiative for a selected departmental strategic priority

Sample Answer

To bridge the gap between fiscal constraints and the need to retain high-quality staff, I propose a Quality Improvement (QI) Initiative focused on "The 80/20 Innovation & Retention Model."

This initiative targets a strategic priority common to most organizations: Reducing Turnover while Increasing Operational Efficiency through Technology.

1. The Initiative: The "80/20 Efficiency Dividend"

The core of this proposal is to shift the departmental culture from "survivor mode" to "innovation mode" without requiring a massive budget increase.

The 80% (Core Operations): Use Lean Six Sigma principles to identify and automate redundant administrative tasks (e.g., automated reporting, AI-assisted scheduling, or streamlined documentation).

The 20% (Innovation/Retention): The time "saved" through these efficiencies is not used to increase the workload. Instead, it is given back to high-quality staff as "Protected Innovation Time" to work on creative products, research, or professional development.

Strategic Impact

Finances: Reduces the "hidden costs" of turnover (recruitment and training costs typically equal 1.5x–2x an employee’s salary).

Human Capital: Directly addresses burnout by giving staff autonomy and a sense of purpose beyond routine tasks.

Technology: Staff are incentivized to find and implement creative technology because it directly improves their own work-life balance.

2. Methodology: The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) Cycle

To ensure this isn't just a "theory," the initiative will be implemented using the PDSA Cycle, a standard QI framework.

Plan: Identify one specific administrative bottleneck and set a goal to reduce time spent on it by 15% over one quarter.