The Quiet Power of Continuous Improvement

As engineers, we’re wired to look for better ways to do things—more effectively, more cost-efficiently, more sustainably. Whether it’s refining a design, streamlining a process, or simply making communication smoother, our team is always asking the same question: How can this be better?

The ISO 9001 Quality Management System's Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) Cycle

It’s an approach that might not have a formal label inside our office, but it lines up well with frameworks like ISO 9001 and its Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle. We identify problems, try out potential solutions, observe the results, and implement what works best. Then we do it all over again. Continuous improvement isn’t a policy—it’s our nature.

That mindset recently led us to take a fresh look at something foundational to who we are: our values.

Over time, we realized that while our six values captured what matters to us, they were hard to remember. (And we know Wes Dove likes to pop-quiz people on their company values! We want to be prepared!) So, true to form, we looked for a way to make them more memorable. We fine-tuned—not reinvented—our values into a framework that captures the same information, but in a more memorable way.

Here's where we landed . . .

WHAT WE CARE ABOUT (VALUES)

Doing What’s R.I.G.H.T.

• RESPECT – Value others and the roles they play.

• INTEGRITY – Be honest. Be on time. Do good work.

• GROWTH – Keep learning. Hone your craft.

• HOLISTIC THINKING – Consider the big picture (neighbors, environment, future).

• TIMELY COMMUNICATION – Respond promptly and proactively.

Like any good engineering process, this change wasn’t about starting over—it was about continuous improvement. And we'll keep making improvements, knowing that even small refinements make a big difference over time.