Visual displays share your improvement data in an accessible format so that everyone involved knows if their improvement efforts are working. Showing your QI work in a visual format can be very powerful
Displaying data helps to motivate all to continue their efforts and embeds positive changes. These displays are sometimes called ‘storyboards’. Additional work is rarely required to produce a storyboard.
Download RCGP Quick guide: Visual displays
How to
- Start by finding a dedicated space for collecting and displaying material you generate in the course of your quality improvement project. The waiting room and staff room are good places, depending on what you are aiming to improve.
- Start your Storyboard as soon as the activity is started.
- The purposes of the projects shown should be stated.
- Make sure the board contains mostly pictures and charts and avoid documents with lots of text.
- Include only critical information.
- Avoid jargon
- Make sure each chart has a large clear heading.
- Run charts should have the axes labelled and the time that any change was introduced shown on the chart.
- Make sure everyone leading a QI project has space on the board to show what they are doing.
- Use the Storyboard during practice meetings to build team ownership, engagement and motivation.
- Keep them fresh by adding and taking away material which will encourage people to look at them more frequently
