ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Oleg Popov of Cristanval, Russian reporter, talks about HADI cycles and how they improve efficiency in cleaning companies.

HADI (Hypothesis-Action-Data-Insights) is a cycle for verifying the validity of ideas based in improving key figures. This technology arose as a result of start-up management and internet marketing and is now gradually transitioning into off-line business and offers innovators competitive advantages.

In any business process, there are particular numbers that may be distinguished, which have a direct influence on money. For instance when it comes to cleaning facilities, one can distinguish three large groups of figures. The success rate or lack thereof in working with each group can have a direct effect on the profitability of a facility and the preservation of a contract.

1. The professional knowledge and skills of managers and line personnel:
• training schedule and program,
• a stable team at the facility.

2. The conception of cleaning a facility:
• selection of optimal floor washing technology and inventory;
• the condition of technology and inventory and the timetable of checks and repair,
• expenditure of washing supplies,
• cleaning methods,
• frequency of jobs,
• additional time (replacing water, assembling carts,
lunch breaks),
• selecting contractors (taking out rubbish, high rise jobs, purchasing expense materials).

3. Customer expectations
Not only is it proper to hear the client’s wishes, but also to constantly work on improvement, think the whole process through, and work on exceeding the client’s desires.

Let’s take a look at how we apply the HADI cycle at our company as an example. 
Hypothesis: We take a key figure and think up a hypothesis for improving it. For example, if the managers are undergoing regular training for servicing cleaning technology, then repair expenses will decrease.

Action: we implement the least possible action for verifying the hypothesis – we form a group of five managers and train them.

Data: we collect data on the condition of the technology and repair expenses at the end of the month.

Insights: we achieve insights and integrate the training program for all of the managers.

If the hypothesis works out, then we keep it and implement it on a larger scale. Statistically, seven out of 10 hypotheses don’t work out, but the other three lead to significant monetary improvement!

Integration of the HADI cycle motivates managing employees to constantly generate ideas and analyse the work process. This significantly increases the effectiveness of meetings, since each manager tries to propose something new to test out. Employees also start taking more initiative, an element of competitiveness is sparked within the workforce, and the numbers get better. New technologies thus help to develop traditional businesses.