OERt Masterclass | Continuous Improvement, Hard Work or Discipline | Sep 2026

Sustainable CI is not a product of hard work, but of the discipline to apply the right methods consistently over time.

It is often thought that continuous improvement requires a great deal of effort or more plainly put, hard work. Ask a room of any size - shop floor to boardroom - what continuous improvement looks like, and you'll get the same picture: late nights, urgent fixes, the person who saves the day. But what if that belief is fundamentally flawed? This session challenges the traditional narrative and reframes CI as a discipline-driven system rather than a labour-intensive pursuit.

Drawing on real-world experience from plant floors to boardrooms, Shaun Sunnasy shares a simple yet powerful truth: sustainable improvement doesn’t come from bursts of effort but from consistency. The routines that feel repetitive and mundane (standard checks, structured reviews, and adherence to proven methods) are the very elements that create lasting success.

For every level in the room:

• Practitioners: A project that nails root cause and dies in sustainment isn't a tooling failure, it's a discipline failure - and it's fixable.

• Leadership: Organisations getting compounding returns from CI aren't the ones working hardest, they're the ones who've made improvement a governed process with clear ownership and cadence, the same way they treat finance or safety.

• Those new to CI: The good news is that discipline, unlike hard work, doesn't burn people out. It's not a personality trait - it's a method, and it can be built.

Referencing principles from industry pioneers such as Taiichi Ohno and W. Edwards Deming, this session explores how disciplined systems consistently outperform even the most dedicated individuals working beyond their limits. As Ohno put it, “The Toyota style is not to create results by working hard.” And Deming reminds us, “A goal without a method is cruel.” An exciting target - a budget number, a safety record, a market position - means nothing without the discipline underneath it. That's true whether you're the operator running the check or the shareholder reading the result.

Without discipline, even the most ambitious targets lack the foundation to succeed.

Attendees will walk away with a clearer understanding of why many improvement efforts fail to sustain, and how embedding ownership, cadence, and method into CI transforms it into a scalable and resilient capability across all levels of an organisation.

Continuous improvement was never about working harder. It's about building something that doesn't need you to.

Agenda 

• Intros and setting expectations

• Main Presentation

• Group discussions and Q&A

• Conclusion

Meet the Presenter

Shaun Sunnasy - Operational Excellence Specialist | Adbri Cement

Operational Excellence Specialist with 20+ years’ experience across cement, lime, FMCG, and export hay, from plant floor to executive level. Specialises in Lean and Six Sigma frameworks, delivering results such as kiln OEE improvement from 67% to 87%, and major cost reductions. Currently driving business process improvement across production and maintenance operations nationally, Shaun’s work is grounded in a simple belief: Sustainable improvement only sticks when it is backed by standard work that is owned and sustained by the people doing it.

FAQs

What will I need to participate in this event?

Access to a PC / Tablet / Smartphone with Camera and Microphone.

How do I connect to my event?

You will be sent a zoom link one day prior to the event.

About SIRF Events

All SIRF Rt events are designed to provide a safe learning environment with presenters from all over the world. Our webinar events start with a detailed presentation on the topic by an experienced individual, usually followed by a discussion on the topic.

This is a free event to SIRF Member companies.

Not a SIRF Member company? Please contact us at info@sirfrt.com to discuss membership options.

Who can I contact for further information?

info@sirfrt.com

events@sirfrt.com

Jeff Naylor: Jeff.Naylor@sirfrt.com