The Kaizen Event

IT TAKES JUST 5 DAYS

Unlike any other improvement process you may have read or heard about, a Kaizen event (also called a Kaizen Blitz), uniquely completes all the evaluation, training and process improvement in just 5-days.

Seems impossible? I thought it was impossible as well until I was trained in Japan and participated in a highly successful Kaizen event that resulted in a 25% improvement in the output of Isuzu Troopers in just 3-days. You read correctly - a 25% improvement in 3 days.

The problem with many of the other improvement processes is that they take a long time before any results are achieved. Often the consultants want to be paid first for a facility evaluation. Much of what you learn from their evaluation, you already knew. This evaluation is typically followed by months of training for your staff. Much of this training is often forgotten after a few days since the lessons learned don’t get applied right away. Unfortunately, while money is flowing out to the consultants during the evaluation and training periods, there is no improvement to the client’s bottom line.

During the Kaizen Event, your people are trained in the methodology so that they can conduct their own Events in the future. Continuous Improvement Consultancy has conducted hundreds of Kaizen Events and all have been successful.

KAIZEN EVENT FOCUSES ON YOUR MOST CRITICAL BUSINESS PROCESS

An event takes 3-5 days. The Kaizen Event that week focuses on your most critical business process - manufacturing or service - to get never before realized levels of productivity, quality and profits. A team of 6-12 people from across the organization is formed and given one full day of training in techniques to identify and eliminate waste. Then the team spends the rest of their time implementing the new, vastly improved process.

At the conclusion of the week, not only has a key business process been improved very quickly, but a team has been trained that can apply this same technique to other processes in the company. Unlike other improvement methods, Kaizen:

• Provides very quick implementation
• Is low cost since it relies on your own people, not a gang of expensive young consultants
• Implants an effective team approach to problem solving and process improvement.

Discovering the sources of waste in the processes and permanently eliminating them improve the processes.

BECOMING LEAN

THE BREAKDOWN OF A TYPICAL 5-DAY KAIZEN EVENT

Day 1
Previously selected teams of 6 – 12 people spend a full day learning Kaizen techniques. Very little pre-event preparation is required by the client except for selecting team members, arranging for a meeting room to be used for a week and re-arranging schedules and work assignments to allow the team members to spend an uninterrupted week on the Kaizen team.

Day 2
The process targeted for improvement is studied in detail. Studies that day include, process flow, time and motion, spaghetti diagramming, as well as quantification of travel distances, inventory levels and process velocity. Simultaneously the Value Stream Map is constructed and analyzed.

Day 3
The new process implementation begins. At the same time the Value Stream analysis is used to begin developing the enterprise-wide continuous improvement plan.

Day 4
The new process has been implemented and the continuous improvement plan complete.

Day 5
The new process is fine-tuned. The final result along with the improvement plan is presented to management by the team (not by the consultant.)

IMPROVEMENT PLAN DEVELOPED DURING KAIZEN WEEK

Although the project is fully completed at the end of the week and the consultant has left, there is still work to be done by the client. Sustaining and propagating become high priorities for the organization. The new process has to be monitored to assure that the improvements “stick.” Also the gains made during the week have to be propagated across the enterprise. This is accomplished by following the newly created improvement plan developed during the Kaizen week.

These sustaining and propagating responsibilities need leadership and that typically requires that somebody in the organization is made responsible for what is called, Lean Promotion.

STAFF TRAINED TO CONDUCT OWN KAIZEN EVENTS

The objective of Continuous Improvement Consultancy is “Technology Transfer.” That is, we will train your staff to conduct their own Kaizen events and help develop a highly detailed continuous improvement plan so that the client quickly becomes independent of the consultant.