“We implemented the new process six months ago, but we’re already back to fighting the same fires.”

I’ve heard this frustration from dozens of IT leaders who invested significant resources in improvement initiatives only to watch their gains slowly evaporate. The pattern is depressingly familiar: enthusiasm, implementation, initial success, gradual backsliding, and eventually, a return to the chaotic status quo.

After guiding over 75 technology organizations through transformation efforts, I’ve found that the SLAM method stands apart specifically because of its ability to create self-sustaining improvement cycles rather than one-off gains. When properly implemented, it becomes a flywheel that accelerates over time rather than a project that concludes.

Let me share what I’ve learned about turning SLAM from a one-time implementation into an ongoing engine of operational excellence.

The Continuous Improvement Challenge

Most IT improvement initiatives follow a project-based approach with a defined beginning and end. This fundamental structure virtually guarantees regression over time because:

  • New team members arrive without the context of why changes were made
  • Urgent demands gradually erode process discipline
  • The initial problems that drove change fade from memory
  • External factors create new pressures not addressed in the original design

The SLAM method—Standardize, Leverage, Automate, Measure—can break this cycle, but only when implemented with continuity built into its foundation.

Embedding Iteration Into Each SLAM Component

The true power of the SLAM approach emerges when each component incorporates its own improvement cycle.

Standardize: From Static Documentation to Living Frameworks

Static standards inevitably become obsolete. Instead, build your standardization efforts around these principles:

  • Scheduled review triggers – Calendar-based reviews of standards at appropriate intervals
  • Exception tracking mechanisms – Systems that flag when standards are bypassed
  • Ownership and stewardship – Clear accountability for maintaining each standard
  • Feedback loops – Easy ways for teams to suggest refinements

A financial services company I worked with reduced their critical incidents by 62% not because they created perfect standards initially, but because they reviewed and refined their incident management standards quarterly based on actual response data.

Leverage: From Asset Libraries to Discovery Systems

Most leverage efforts focus on building repositories of reusable components, but these quickly become digital junkyards without:

  • Usage tracking – Monitoring which components actually get reused
  • Lifecycle management – Processes for retiring or refreshing aging components
  • Discoverability mechanisms – Ways to ensure teams can find relevant assets
  • Contribution incentives – Recognition for teams that create high-value, reusable solutions

A healthcare IT organization created a simple leaderboard recognizing teams that contributed the most reused components. This one change dramatically increased both the quality and utilization of their shared resource library.

Automate: From Scripts to Evolution

Automation often starts with enthusiasm but stalls when initial scripts become brittle or outdated. Sustainable automation requires:

  • Versioning and documentation – Clear records of what each automation does and why
  • Testing frameworks – Ways to validate that automations still function as expected
  • Modular design – Components that can be replaced or updated individually
  • Execution metrics – Data on how frequently automations run and their success rates

A manufacturing client’s automation initiative initially faltered because their scripts broke whenever systems changed. By implementing automated testing of their automations (meta-automation), they created a self-healing system that maintained value over time.

Measure: From Reports to Insights

Measurement is where most SLAM implementations truly fall short of creating continuous improvement. Effective measurement systems:

  • Evolve their metrics – Regularly reassessing what should be measured
  • Connect to decisions – Explicitly tying measurements to specific actions
  • Include leading indicators – Looking forward, not just backward
  • Challenge assumptions – Periodically questioning what “good” looks like

A technology services provider discovered their long-standing MTTR metric was actually driving counterproductive behavior. By expanding to include customer impact measurements, they completely transformed their incident management approach.

Building the SLAM Flywheel Effect

The most powerful SLAM implementations create a reinforcing cycle where each component accelerates the others:

The Virtuous Cycle Pattern

  • Better standardization creates clearer opportunities for leverage
  • Increased leverage provides stable components for automation
  • Expanded automation generates more consistent data for measurement
  • Improved measurement highlights priorities for enhanced standardization

A retail organization I advised initially struggled with their SLAM adoption until we explicitly mapped these connections. Within three months of focusing on these interactions rather than individual components, they created a self-reinforcing improvement engine.

Practical Governance for Continuous SLAM

Sustaining the SLAM method over time requires lightweight but effective governance. Based on successful implementations, these elements prove most critical:

Rhythm of Business Integration

Embed SLAM review and refinement into existing meeting cadences:

  • Monthly operations reviews that assess SLAM metrics
  • Quarterly prioritization of improvement initiatives
  • Annual strategic alignment checks

Cross-Functional Oversight

Create a small, empowered team with representation from:

  • Operations staff who live with the daily reality
  • Leadership with resource authority
  • Architecture to ensure technical alignment
  • Business stakeholders who experience the impact

Celebration and Recognition

Acknowledge and reward contributions to continuous improvement:

  • Recognition for teams that identify and close gaps
  • Showcasing measurable improvements
  • Sharing success stories across the organization

Getting Started With Continuous SLAM

If you’re just beginning your SLAM method journey, or looking to revitalize a stalled implementation, start here:

Assessment: Evaluate Current State

  • Map your existing SLAM components against the continuous improvement elements
  • Identify which areas have natural refresh cycles and which have stagnated
  • Gather feedback on where previous improvement efforts lost momentum

Pilot: Start Small but Complete

  • Select one process area with high visibility and manageable scope
  • Implement all four SLAM components with built-in improvement mechanisms
  • Document specifically how each component will evolve over time

Expand: Build on Momentum

  • Use lessons from your pilot to create templates for other areas
  • Prioritize expansion based on business impact and team readiness
  • Develop peer-to-peer coaching to spread continuous improvement thinking

The Bottom Line

The difference between organizations that achieve lasting transformation with the SLAM method and those that experience temporary gains comes down to one factor: embedding continuous improvement into the approach itself.

When each component—Standardize, Leverage, Automate, Measure—incorporates its own evolution mechanisms, SLAM becomes more than a methodology. It becomes an operating system for ongoing advancement.

The most successful organizations don’t view SLAM as something they implemented in the past; they see it as the way they continually refine their operations for the future.