Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Small, medium and micro enterprises are important contributors to the economic and socioeconomic development of South Africa. However, most enterprises struggle to become established. The high rate of failure is due to a lack of access to finance, poor managerial and technical skills, and also the competitive business environment. The focus of this research report is on the development of a continuous and sustainable internal process improvement roadmap that provides skill constrained small business managers with strategic and technical support, in order to make their organisations more competitive in the current business environment, without expensive consultation. The first step toward the development of the roadmap is discussed as a ten step basic process improvement cycle, based on an interpretation of the PDCA cycle. These ten steps provide most of the methods that are needed for practical implementation of improvement activities. However, this approach needs strategic support in order to ensure that improvement activities focus on the critical improvement opportunities. The second step regards the identification of strategic support, and additional improvement methods, to align improvement activities toward the critical improvement opportunities, which represent a common goal. Three methodologies are discussed as individual roadmaps to determine the crucial aspects that can be integrated into a holistic management roadmap, which accommodates practical improvement. These methodologies are lean thinking, theory of constraints, and the six sigma philosophy. The final roadmap is then developed, based on the principle that perspectives can be used to develop the perception of people toward improvement. Different perspectives are identified from the studied improvement methodologies, and the execution of improvement activities is then supported with the basic process improvement cycle. The perspectives are categorised into three main perspectives. First, the organisational perspective provides an overview of the philosophy, people, and process. Second, the primary process perspective provides an overview of the critical process aspects; value, throughput, and quality. Third, the secondary process perspective connects these critical process aspects in terms of effectiveness, agility, and efficiency. The roadmap is then completed when management can transcend above perspective. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Klein, medium en mikro ondernemings is belangrike bydraers tot die ekonomiese en sosio-ekonomiese ontwikkeling van Suid-Afrika. Meeste ondernemings sukkel egter om gevestig te raak. Die hoë koers van mislukking is weens ‘n gebrek aan finansiële toegang, swak bestuurs en tegniese vaardighede, en die mededingende sake-omgewing. Die fokus van hierdie navorsingsverslag is op die onwikkeling van ‘n deurlopende en volhoubare interne proses verbeterings padkaart wat klein besigheid bestuurders verskaf met strategiese en tegniese ondersteuning, sonder duur konsultasie, ten einde hul organisasies meer mededingend the maak in die huidige sake-omgewing. Die eerste stap vir die onwikkeling van die padkaart word bespreek as ‘n tien stap basiese verbetering siklus, gebaseer op ‘n intrepretasie van die PDCA siklus. Hierdie stappe voorsien meeste van die metodes wat nodig is vir praktiese implementering van verbetering aktiwiteite. Die benadering moet egter strategies ondersteun word om te verseker dat verbetering aktiwiteite op die kritieke verbeterings geleenthede fokus. Die tweede stap word bespreek vir die identifisering van strategiese ondersteuning, asook addisionele verbetering metodes, om verbetering aktiwiteite in lyn te bring met kritiese verbeterings geleenthede, wat ‘n gemeenskaplike doel verteenwoordig. Drie metodieke word bespreek as individuele padkaarte om die deurslaggewende aspekte te bepaal wat geïntegreer kan word in ‘n bestuurs padkaart, wat praktiese verbetering akkomodeer. Die metodieke is “lean thinking”, “theory of constraints”, en “six sigma”. Die finale padkaart word dan ontwikkel, gebasseer op die beginsel dat perspektiewe gebruik kan word om mense se persepsie van verbetering te ontwikkel. Verskillende perspektiewe is geïndentifiseer vanuit die verbetering metodieke, en die uitvoering van verbeterings aktiwiteite word dan ondersteun met die basiese verbeterings siklus. Die perspektiewe is ingedeel in drie hoof perspektiewe. Eerste, die organisatoriese perspektief verskaf ‘n hoë vlak oorsig van die filosofie, mense, en proses. Tweede, die primêre proses perspektief verskaf ‘n oorsig van die kritiese proses aspekte; waarde, deurset, en kwaliteit. Derde, die sekondêre proses perspektief verbind die proses aspekte in terme van effektiwiteit, aanpasbaarheid, en doeltreffendheid. Die padkaart word dan eindelik voltooi wanneer die bestuur perspektief te bowe kan kom.