Kaizen

Workshop Overview

Kaizen is a critical tool supporting companies and organizations in their ongoing improvement activities as identified through Enterprise Value Stream Mapping. It is critical for companies to use Kaizen as part of this system level approach to improvement. The Future State Implementation Plan is based on Lean Principles supporting key company objectives. Through the use of Kaizen Events, companies improve their end-to-end process through the introduction of Flow and Pull to improve Lead-time, process flexibility and Customer Responsiveness.

Kaizen Events move companies away from traditional lengthy projects where valuable resources spend more time in meeting rooms and completing updates than in making change happen. Kaizen Events is a focused approach that brings critical resources together and empowers participants to not only identify root cause and determine solutions but most importantly, to implement the change. Time and effort is spent on the shop floor or wherever the value stream problem exists.

Kaizen is action focused!

Learning Objectives

• Introduce Kaizen as an improvement tool supporting Lean


• Understand how Kaizen supports Enterprise Value Stream Mapping and the Future State Implementation Plan


• Introduce Kaizen as a tool that reinforces Team behaviours


• Introduce a culture of change

Program Agenda

1-5 Days – Kaizen Event

The workshop consists of classroom activity and application of the tool on an actual problem as identified through your Enterprise Value Stream Mapping Implementation Plan. The actual workshop time is dependent on the Value Stream problem / activity that the company selects. At the completion of the workshop, the participants will understand Kaizen

Example of a 5 Day Kaizen Event Workshop.

Kaizen Event- Day One

• Introduction and getting started


• Define Kaizen


• Identify a specific Value Stream problem


• Clearly develop a problem statement

Kaizen Event- Day Two

• Analyze the Problem


• Observe the affected area and / or process


• Gather critical data, information and observations


• Team exercise to identify and select possible solutions

Kaizen Workshop - Day Three

• Review problem, possible solutions


• Team select best Solution


• Team develop Implementation Plan

Kaizen Event - Day Four

• Complete Implementation Plan


• Implement

Enterprise Value Stream Mapping - Implementation Plan: (Optional) Day Five

• Complete Implementation


• Document changes


• Workshop conclusion, Team celebration

Who Should Attend?

In many cases, efforts to implement Lean have stalled because companies have failed to follow through with a formal approach to implementation. Kaizen Events should involve participants throughout an organization with emphasis on those individuals that will be most affected by the identified changes.

These could be:

• Operational Leaders


• Value Stream Managers


• Financial/Purchasing Managers


• Trainers/Human Resources


• Quality Managers


• Engineering


• Continuous Improvement Leaders

Prerequisites

Novices to Lean implementation should attend Introduction To Lean first to familiarize themselves with the basic concepts and principles of Lean.