CIP stands for Continuous Improvement Process and describes a method that serves the continuous improvement of process, product and service quality. CIP is based on the idea that employees know their work processes best and are therefore best able to recognize improvements in the processes. Thus, a corporate culture that supports and rewards teamwork and employee ideas is an important cornerstone for the implementation of CIP. CIP is a method of small steps, which, however, when carried out systematically, consistently and purposefully, leads to an improvement of one's own process in daily operations. This corporate culture must be exemplified by the managers.

All levels of the company must work consistently on the following goals:

• the definition and pursuit of goals
• the elimination of malfunctions
• the search for improvement possibilities
• the avoidance of waste

The CIP process:

• What can be improved
• Describe the current state and the target state on the basis of key figures
• Describe and evaluate problems that occur
• Evaluate the problems
• Analysis of the problem (causes, correlations, etc.)
• Collection of solution approaches (e.g. in a brainstorming session)
• Evaluation of the solution ideas and decision
• Derive the necessary measures, evaluate effort and return
• Presentation of the results to the decision-making body
• Determine measures and clarify resources
• Implement measures
• Review success

To achieve economic success from CIP, it is important to establish this process in the general corporate culture. To this end, the appropriate framework conditions must be created, such as the provision of working time, further training measures, implementation in workflows and processes and, above all, the implementation of ideas. The CIP concept is a systematic procedure of planning, implementing, checking and acting (PDCA cycle).