Continuous Improvement Process Research Articles

180 Building an evaluation platform to capture the impact of Frontiers CTSI activities

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: In 2021, Frontiers CTSI revamped its evaluation infrastructure to be comprehensive, efficient, and transparent in demonstrating outputs and outcomes. We sought to build a platform to standardize measures across program areas, integrate continuous improvement processes into operations, and reduce the data entry burden for investigators. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: To identify useful metrics, we facilitated each Core’s creation of a logic model, in which they identified all planned activities, expected outputs, and anticipated outcomes for the 5-year cycle and beyond. We identified appropriate metrics based on the logic models and aligned metrics across programs against extant administrative data. We then built a data collection and evaluation platform within REDCap to capture user requests, staff completion of requests, and, ultimately, request outcomes. We built a similar system to track events, attendance, and outcomes. Aligning with other hubs, we also transitioned to a membership model. Membership serves as the backbone of the evaluation platform and allows us to tailor communication, capture demographic information, and reduce the data entry burden for members. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: The Frontiers Evaluation Platform consists of 9 redcap projects with distinct functions and uses throughout the Institute. Point-of-service collection forms include the Consultation Request Event Tracking. Annual Forms include a Study Outcome, Impact, and Member Assessment Survey. Set timepoint collections include K & T application, Mock Study Section, and Pilot grant application submission, review, and outcomes. Flight Tracker is used to collect scientific outcomes and integrated with the platform. Using SQL, the membership module has been integrated into all forms to check and collect membership before service access and provide relevant member data to navigators. All relevant data is then synched into a dashboard for program leadership and management to track outputs and outcomes in real-time. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Since the launch of the evaluation platform in Fall 2022, Frontiers has increased its workflow efficiency and streamlined continuous improvement communication. The platform can serve as a template for other hubs to build efficient processes to create comprehensive and transparent evaluation plans.

Improvement and analysis of aircraft maintenance flow process using lean manufacturing, PDCA, PICA, and VSM for sustainable operation system

The aircraft maintenance process plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety and reliability of air travel. However, this process often encounters inefficiencies and waste, reducing productivity. This study aims to analyze the flow of the aircraft maintenance process and identify areas for improvement using Lean Manufacturing, Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA), Problem Identification and Corrective Action (PICA), and Value Stream Mapping (VSM) methods within a sustainability system. This study demonstrates how non-value-adding (NVA) and necessary but non-value-adding activities (NNVA) contribute to maintenance process delays, waste generation, and decreased process efficiency. It also underscores the impact of waste on process performance and proposes potential time savings through focused improvements. The result revealed that inventory wastage was the most prevalent issue, accounting for 9 out of 26 activities, followed by waiting for wastage with seven activities and defects with 5 activities. These wasteful activities are primarily concentrated in phases 3, 4, and 5, encompassing inspection, repair, and installation phases. Consequently, there is a pressing need to enhance efficiency in all phases, particularly phases 3, 4, and 5, by targeting non-value-added activities. Implementing these improvements can reduce the total process time from 18,229 minutes to 15,170.2 minutes, offering a detailed roadmap for enhancing the aircraft maintenance process. Thus, this study is an alternative consideration for the aircraft maintenance industry to ensure a continuous improvement process in facing the challenges of global industry innovation as the category of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

WIME Systematic Innovation Method based on 6WHI and Total Factor Matrix Analysis

The involved object of systematic innovation and management is neither a single goal nor a single meth-od. Firstly, the research object is a systematic and organic whole composed of multiple node elements with a certain degree of correlation. Secondly, the research method is multi-dimensional, comprehensive, all round and highly efficient. Innovation should break through the existing thinking framework, change the existing structure, add new components, give new energy and produce new functions. The 5W1H is a questioning approach and a problem-solving method that answers all the basic elements within a problem which are what, who, when, where, why, and how. It aims to view ideas from various perspectives and gain an in-depth understanding of a specific situation. On the basis of 5W1H analysis method, this paper puts forward the 6WHI systematic innovation management method, which increases the query words weather and if of the innovation expansion solution, increases the number of questions from 6 to 8, and expands innovative forward-looking and innovative solutions diversity, with smoother pronunciation, more exciting storm. Furthermore, a systematic innovation method based on 6WHI and total factor analysis is established, and a more general and normative model WIME method is presented. This method can be utilized as a continuous process-improvement technique in an organization. Taking the 17 letters of “if question patents” as the prefix, they are just 17 common key elements in system management and innovation. For each element mentioned above, 8 questions and answers of 6WHI are given to realize systematic management and innovation. The above two types of work are arranged according to the matrix format, and then the weighted evaluation method is introduced to evaluate the above management and innovation work, so as to give a general and standardized systematic management and innovation (WIME) method.

Innovative approaches in higher education in Ukraine: Trends and prospects

Innovative approaches in higher education in Ukraine are crucial to address changing global education dynamics, technological advancements, and evolving workforce needs. The primary aim is to assess the significance of innovation in shaping the educational experience and teaching methodologies. The research employs a mixed-methods approach, combining surveys and in-depth interviews with educators across various disciplines. The collected data from 125 participants provide insights into their perspectives on the importance of innovation. The results indicate a growing interest in innovative methods among educators and students, highlighting a desire for continuous improvement in the learning process. Сhallenges related to the implementation of innovative approaches are identified, including technological barriers, limited resources, and resistance from within the academic community. In conclusion, while innovation remains a crucial component for advancing higher education in Ukraine, strategic planning and targeted support are essential for successful implementation. The study underscores the need for enhanced international collaboration, a focus on overcoming identified challenges, and the development of a comprehensive support system for educators. These findings contribute to the ongoing discourse on the evolution of higher education in Ukraine and offer insights for policymakers, administrators, and educators seeking to foster a dynamic and effective learning environment.

The future of accounting in Ukraine: trends and forecasts in the conditions of rapid digital transformation

The paper is devoted to the study of trends and forecasts of the development of accounting in Ukraine in the conditions of rapid digital transformation. Scientific and empirical methods (collection and comparison of information), as well as complex analytical methods (synthesis and generalization) were used during the research. The informational basis of the paper is the scientific works of both domestic and foreign scientists who studied accounting issues in the conditions of rapid digital transformation. The paper noted that accounting in Ukraine today is undergoing major changes in connection with the introduction of digital technologies, which is a necessary and key stage for ensuring the effective functioning of the organization. It was noted that digitization of accounting and its integration into the company's information system is not only a necessity, but also a strategic step in modern business. This process is aimed at optimizing financial processes, ensuring fast and accurate data processing. An integrated information system allows not only to store information, but also to analyze it, providing the company's management with valuable insights for making strategic decisions. This approach turns accounting into a powerful tool that contributes to the growth and success of the enterprise in conditions of constant competition. It is also stated that in the future accounting in Ukraine will continue to evolve rapidly under the influence of digital transformation and the latest technologies. The paper examines key trends and forecasts for the future of accounting in Ukraine in conditions of rapid digital transformation: process automation, "cloud" technologies, data analysis and forecasting, blockchain, cyber security. The conclusion states that the future of accounting in Ukraine is inextricably linked to the digital transformation taking place in modern business. Successful adaptation to the trends considered in the study will require not only technological readiness, but also cultural and organizational changes aimed at continuous improvement of processes and personnel skills.

A Samsung production system-based approach to improve manufacturing process management in Vietnamese firms

Today, more and more Vietnamese firms consider continuous improvement as the best way to increase their manufacturing capability. This paper aims to illustrate the effectiveness of manufacturing processes management from the Samsung production system (SPS) approach when it was implemented to improve capability of existing production process in Vietnamese firms. The paper is a combination of descriptive and field research to demonstrate how SPS principles are appropriate for five real industry cases in particular and all Vietnamese manufacturing companies in general. In five cases, the usage of SPS-based tools has turned out to be fruitful. They solved problems of continuous improvement management in Vietnamese firms and created significant achievements in quality improvement and productivity increase. The paper investigates the core value of Samsung’s continuous process improvement. The way that Samsung has used to improve quality and profitability simultanously can be adapted by manufacturing companies.

Strategic Approaches for the Health Science Educator: Understanding Strategic Planning, Strategic Thinking, and Continuous Process Improvement and Their Impact.

With continued demand for health science institutions to find solutions to deliver on heightened student expectations despite smaller budgets and fewer resources, the utilization of organizational improvement techniques is pervasive. Academic health care leaders are seeking effective modalities to overcome obstacles, modernize, and become more efficient. Three of the commonly used approaches for improvement are strategic planning, strategic thinking, and continuous process improvement (CPI), and these concepts have been used in a variety of forms throughout industry, higher education, and health care. However, their definitions are often not well understood, and their processes are misconstrued in practice. With the increased expectation of health care institutions with undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education to consider strategic processes in organizational improvement, it is important for leadership to understand the differences in these three approaches. In this article, we explain the concepts of strategic planning, strategic thinking, and CPI through an overview of their history, definitions, and the benefits and pitfalls as observed by researchers. Furthermore, we reduce the noise in the existing literature into three concise definitions for each approach. And finally, for those seeking where to begin, we explain one tool in each category recommended for the novice strategist: the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis for strategic planning, the Goals, Objectives, Strategies, and Tactics (GOST) framework for strategic thinking, and the Pareto Chart for CPI.

Formulating tasks, interpretation, and planning the implementation of research results using artificial intelligence in medicine.

Strategic issues of artificial intelligence use in medicine are considered. Summarizing, as of today, AI supports doctors but does not replace them. It is emphasized that AI in healthcare typically solves important, but rather limited in scope, tasks. Difficulties in further implementation of AI are analyzed. The aim of the study was to address the analytical generalization of AI capabilities in healthcare, analyze the problems of using the Universum of medical-biological knowledge as a global unified resource, and conceptually justify the need to structure medical-biological knowledge, introducing fundamentally new forms of knowledge transfer in healthcare. Conclusions made: 1. The goal of AI implementation should be to find a delicate, mutually beneficial balance between its effective use and the judgments of trained doctors. This is extremely important, as artificial intelligence, which may practically fully replace the labour of doctors in the near future, today is an issue that might otherwise hinder obtaining benefits from it. 2. AI will become an integral part of future medicine. Therefore, it is important to teach the new generation of medical interns the concepts and principles of AI application, to function effectively in the workplace. It is extremely important to develop skills such as empathy in AI. 3. A systematic approach to the continuous improvement of diagnostic and treatment processes and systems for patients, first and foremost, requires bridging the gap between accumulated medical knowledge and the logic and results of AI use.

The impact of accreditation on continuous quality improvement process in undergraduate medical education programs: A scoping review

Background Accreditation in medical education has existed for more than 100 years, yet the impact of accreditation remains inconclusive. Some studies have shown the effects of accreditation on student outcomes and educational processes at medical schools. However, evidence showing the impact of accreditation on continuous quality improvement of undergraduate medical education programs is still in its infancy. This scoping review explores the impact of accreditation on continuous quality improvement (CQI). Methods This scoping review followed the methodology of the Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and the Meta-Analysis extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist outlined by Arksey and O'Malley (2005). Databases, including PubMed, Medline, ERIC, CINHAL, and Google Scholar, were searched to find articles from 2000 to 2022 related to the accreditation of undergraduate medical education programs and continuous quality improvement. Results A total of 35 full-text articles were reviewed, and ten articles met our inclusion criteria. The quality assurance approach is based on meeting the standards of accreditation. The quality improvement approach is based on striving for excellence. Literature suggests a requirement to move from student outcomes to CQI measures. CQI requires everyone in the organization to take responsibility and accountability, considering quality as the result of every single step or process and leaders supporting improvements in data collection and data analysis for quality improvement. Conclusions The literature on accreditation and CQI are limited in number. More research studies are required to enhance undergraduate medical education accreditation practices' value to medical students, educators, academic leaders, programs, and the public. It was recommended that medical schools embrace the culture and vision perpetuated by the CQI process.

THE INTEGRATION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WITH THE PROCESSES IN HEALTHCARE

This article explores the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) with Business Process Management (BPM) in healthcare. It examines how AI technologies, such as diagnostic decision support, process automation, and predictive analytics, enhance BPM strategies to streamline workflows, improve decision-making, and facilitate continuous process improvement. The discussion highlights opportunities for optimizing healthcare processes, enhancing patient care, and driving operational efficiency through the convergence of AI and BPM. However, the challenges related to data privacy, regulatory compliance, interoperability, and workforce readiness must be addressed. Looking ahead, the integration of AI with BPM holds immense potential to revolutionize healthcare delivery and improve patient outcomes. Keywords: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Healthcare, Applications, Benefits, Challenges.

Aligning total quality management, continuous improvement for process performance: An empirical review

The fundamental goal of this research is to develop a conceptual framework for performance, continuous process improvement, and total quality management. Exploring the literature on total quality management and other variables in connection to various relationships has been the subject of recent investigations. This paper provides an introduction of total quality management, explains how it transforms into a sophisticated strategy employed in modern businesses, and discusses the literature-based research that has been done in this field. This study suggests that total quality management, a concept popularized by Deming, be investigated in a range of industries in order to enhance product quality, reduce waste, and increase productivity. This study is an integrative evaluation of the prior research on the idea of overall quality management and its connection. Future researchers are urged to make use of descriptive survey and empirical technique to generalize its findings. To reflect comprehensive quality management, continuous improvement, and process performance, this study created a conceptual framework and model. The author created a summary table to display earlier research on the subject, including authors, topics, countries, methodologies, and findings. In light of the aforementioned, the researcher filled a knowledge gap.

Flock health planning: How to move from a plan to a reflective planning process in Northern Irish sheep flocks?

AbstractFlock health planning has been advocated as part of a wider drive within livestock production for veterinarians and farmers to adopt a prevention‐focused approach to veterinary medicine. This approach has, at its core, a cyclical process of assessment, evaluation, action and re‐assessment, and is documented, at least in summary, in a health plan (HP). The HP has become a defining pillar of farm quality assurance schemes (QASs), introduced to address calls for greater transparency and accountability in food production. There is limited current information on the attitudes and behaviours surrounding flock HPs in the sheep sector and the barriers to greater involvement in an active process of continual improvement through reflective flock health planning. This study aims to address these issues with reference to the national flock in Northern Ireland. A mixed‐methods approach was used to explore farmers' and veterinarians' opinions and behaviours related to QASs and HP, with data obtained through an online scoping questionnaire, semi‐structured interviews with 27 farmers and 15 veterinarians, and discussion groups with farmers and veterinarians. No evidence of a positive association between a farm having a HP and implementation of 12 industry‐recommended flock health activities was identified using the Fisher's exact test. Farmers reported a reluctance to pay for veterinary advice while some veterinarians reported a lack of time to develop HPs for farmers, and sheep‐related work generally. Farmers predominantly saw the HP as a static, physical document, which had limited impact on their management practices, rather than a proactive, reflective and collaborative planning process. Veterinarians tasked with completing HPs felt restricted by limited knowledge of on‐farm practices, flock production data and a lack of confidence in the accuracy of on‐farm medicine records. This led some to believe that the HPs may fail to address critical issues. A new approach to engage farmers and veterinarians together in active flock health planning needs to be developed. This will need a sustainable delivery plan. Then the focus can be shifted towards ongoing reflective health planning to drive change for the betterment of sheep health and welfare.

Operational strategies for achieving comprehensive cancer center community outreach and engagement objectives: impact and logic models

BackgroundThe National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Cancer Center Support Grants (CCSGs) encourages Cancer Centers to address health disparities and reduce the cancer burden in their Catchment Area (CA) through an organized Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) structure. This paper shares the development of two guide models that fosters the operations of the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center (MCCCC) COE Office and programs, the MCCCC COE Impact Model and the MCCCC COE Logic Model.MethodsFollowing a less than stellar CCSG rating for COE in 2018, the MCCCC developed a transition team to specifically address the critique and create a transformative plan for engaging communities to address cancer burden in the CA. A qualitative research approach was employed, focusing on organizing and displaying the relationship between MCCCC COE processes and outcomes through impact and logic models. An impact model was developed to illustrate the components of the CCSG and connect those components to short- and long-term COE outcomes. A logic model was developed to track and monitor activities for continuous process improvement for all COE activities.ResultsThe impact and logic model serve as a roadmap to monitor progress towards short- and long-term COE goals of the MCCCC. The COE operational strategies draw upon bidirectional partnership, evidence-based practices, and research facilitation to respond to the CCSG critique.ConclusionThese strategies demonstrate successful practices in addressing cancer burden, promoting health equity and eliminating cancer disparities in the MCCCC CA.

Using a Learning Collaborative Model to Improve Youth Psychiatric Residential Treatment

ABSTRACT As part of a transformation initiative, a behavioral health managed care organization partnered with 14 youth psychiatric residential treatment facilities (PRTFs) through a Learning Collaborative to support clinical training, family engagement, community integration, and medication monitoring. Self-reported progress toward sustainable implementation, monitored monthly, improved significantly over time (F = 15.05, p < .0001). Clinical and direct care PRTF staff (N = 1,580) received either in-person or virtual clinical training. Scores on a pre- and post-training knowledge test increased significantly for both in-person and virtual training (p < .001 for both), and training satisfaction was high. Percentage of youth with therapeutic family sessions per month did not change over the Learning Collaborative; this percentage began and remained high (Range: 90.71% to 93.37%). Strategies to engage youth and families in organizational governance increased significantly (e.g. including youth/family partners on staff and in program development). The number of partnerships between PRTFs and community-based behavioral health providers did not change over time. Instead, number of partnerships began and remained high (Range: 38.36 to 48.08). PRTFs also tracked medications monthly to develop internal systems to monitor prescribing practices. This study highlights the value of partnerships and the Learning Collaborative approach to support a continuous quality improvement process.

Where are we now? Evaluating the one year impact of an anti-racism curriculum review

Purpose Undergraduate medical education has had a call to action to acknowledge racist practices that are impacting learners throughout their training. In 2020, our school performed a detailed curricular review and provided recommendations to address racism in the curriculum. Many schools have now undergone a similar curricular review process, but little is known about whether suggested antiracist curricular changes impact faculty teaching behavior or the overall curriculum. Material and Methods In 2021, as part of the medical school’s annual educational quality improvement process, course directors were required to answer a question about the changes they made to address racism in their courses based on recommendations provided the year prior from an antiracism curricular review. The documented changes were analyzed for themes and then organized by course and curricular year. These changes were compared with the suggested recommendations to analyze the number and types of changes implemented after one year. To evaluate student perceptions of change the general comments from academic years 2019–2021 were reviewed. Results After 1 year, approximately, 74% of our school’s 328 anti-racism curricular review recommendations were implemented in courses. Over 80% were implemented in curricular year 1. The greatest number of recommendations implemented were related to the theme of critiquing the strength of evidence in race-based medical practices. The least amount change was made around the theme of challenging the biologic notion of race. Conclusions An antiracism curricular review followed by an embedded continuous quality improvement process can be an effective approach to address racism in medical school curricula. Addressing racism in medical education requires medical schools to regularly identify curricular gaps, faculty needs and monitor their progress.

Assessment of the compliance of a hospital pharmacy with the pharmaceutical assistance requirements of the national accreditation organization

Introduction: Accreditation of health services is carried out on the basis of pre-established criteria and standards for the continuous improvement of quality and safety. Objective: To assess the compliance of a hospital pharmacy with the requirements of Level 1 Pharmaceutical Assistance of the National Accreditation Organization (ONA). Methods: This was a quantitative and cross-sectional study, carried out in the pharmacy of a public hospital in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. The 34 total requirements and 05 priority requirements (CORE) of the ONA Manual were assessed through individual interviews and evidence analysis. Each requirement was rated and scored on: Exceeds (1.2 points), Conforms (1.0 points), Partially Conforms (0.5 points) and Non Conforms (0 points). Compliance was calculated by averaging the requirements scores, multiplied by 100. Results: The hospital pharmacy presented 77.58% of compliance in relation to the total requirements Level 1 and 84.00% in relation to the CORE requirements. Of the total, 61.76% of the requirements were classified as Exceeding or Conforming, 23.53% as Partially Conforming and 11.76% as Non-Conforming. Conclusion: ONA sets minimum compliance standards of 80.00% (total requirements) and 90.00% (CORE) for accreditation. The institution's hospital pharmacy did not meet the minimum standards required. It is suggested that the identified shortcomings could provide an opportunity for the formulation of intervention strategies aimed at the continuous improvement of processes and results, contributing to the advancement in the quality of the services provided.

Record, reflect and refine: using video review as an initiative to improve neonatal care.

The goal of every medical team is to provide optimal care for their patients. We aimed to use video review (VR) sessions to identify and address areas for improvement in neonatal care. For nine months, neonatal procedures (stabilization at birth, intubations and sterile line insertions) were video recorded and reviewed with the neonatal care providers. Action research was used to identify and address areas for improvement which were categorized as (1) protocol/equipment adjustments, (2) input for research, (3) aspects of variety, or (4) development of educational material or training programs. Eighteen VR sessions were organized with a mean(SD) of 17(5) staff members participating. In total, 120 areas for improvement were identified and addressed, of which 84/120 (70%) were categorized as aspects of variety, 20/120 (17%) as development of educational material or training programs, 10/120 (8%) as protocol/equipment adjustments, and 6/120 (5%) as input for research. The areas for improvement were grouped in themes per category, including sterility, technique, equipment, communication, teamwork, parents' perspective and ventilation. Our study showed that regularly organized VR empowered healthcare providers to identify and address a large variety of areas for improvement, contributing to continuous learning and improvement processes. Video review empowered healthcare providers to identify areas for improvement in neonatal care Video review gave providers the opportunity to address identified areas for improvement, either by enhancing the application of external evidence (i.e. guidelines), learning from individual clinical expertise or strengthening resilience and teamwork Embedding regularly organized video review sessions allowed for continuous monitoring of care by providers, which can be beneficial for creating ongoing learning and improvement processes The structured pathways, supporting implementation of changes that were proposed based on the video review sessions, could help other centers make use of the potential video review has to offer.

UTILIZATION OF THE ACTIVITIY BASED COSTING (ABC) SYSTEM IN DETERMINING OVERCOSTING OR UNDERCOSTING TUITION FEES

This study aims to identify the application of the Activity Based Costing (ABC) system in Private Universities in determining the cost of goods for the study program. The main focus of this study is to identify the activities of primary and secondary study programs to determine cost drivers and determine the rates of each of these activities. The research method through case studies by conducting quantitative descriptive analysis is collecting data, compiling data, classifying data and deciphering data. The source of the data came from interviews and observation of financial statement documents with samples at XYZ University. The calculation results obtained the conclusion that several social and economic study programs at XYZ University were in over costing and some exact study programs were under costing conditions. The implications of the results of this study provide input for XYZ University in developing an Activity Based Management (ABM) system as a process of continuous improvement in improving the quality of education.

Building Inclusive Dispositions Within Interdisciplinary Training for Teachers of the Deaf and Speech-Language Pathologists

Effective services for students who are deaf or hard of hearing depend on uniquely skilled professionals who coordinate their support. University programs have developed interdisciplinary models, training different types of professionals together to equip them for work settings that are increasingly inclusive and collaborative. These training programs address standards-based knowledge and skills from various disciplines, but may not be as deliberate in addressing the professional dispositions that are foundational to collaborative practice. Particularly when belief systems intersect topics of language use and identity, dispositions can be challenging to teach and are often applied differently across professions. This article provides a narrative description of an interdisciplinary training program that equips teachers of the deaf and speech-language pathologists. Using a “self-reflective cycle” representative of participatory-action research, it considers both missteps and successes within a continuous improvement process, and the integration of interdisciplinary dispositions as a foundational component of training. A framework of “What to Teach,” Why to Teach It,” and “How to Teach It” is provided that can be embedded or adapted for similar interdisciplinary training programs. The identified dispositions are informed by research-based best practices and center on inclusivity.

The Effect of Smart Factory on the Continuous Improvement of the Production Process: A Review

This in-depth exploration uncovers the game-changing effect of smart factories on the continuous improvement of the production process, harnessing the power of advanced technologies. By closely examining key components such as Machine Learning, Virtual Reality, Additive Manufacturing, and Big Data Analysis, this study provides a detailed understanding of how these innovations shape the smart factory landscape. It highlights the adaptability and efficacy of these techniques by showcasing real-world implementations through case studies across several industrial sectors, going beyond the technical aspects. Moreover, the review delves into the practicalities of implementation, discussing strategies like Advanced Sensing, Control, Platform, and Model (ASCPM), and Visualization, Informatics, and Digital Manufacturing (VIDM). A SWOT analysis reveals the internal strengths and weaknesses, recognizing factors like interoperability, decentralization, and modularity, while also addressing challenges such as the need for personnel training and substantial investment. Looking ahead, the paper emphasizes the exciting opportunities presented by smart factories, including sustainable development, cost reduction, and the emergence of new business models. It also addresses potential threats, such as job losses and cybersecurity concerns. Ultimately, the review paints a human picture of smart factories, showcasing their roles or significance in the continuous improvement of the production process through their transformative impact on efficiency, waste reduction, cost savings, and innovation in manufacturing. The future research recommendations underscore the need to focus