As a business owner, you are probably very familiar with employee workshops and understand the value of organizing one for your own employees. Fostering an atmosphere where employees can gain new skill sets and you can leverage their knowledge is an invaluable opportunity. This is the idea behind a kaizen event.
The five steps in teaching an employee new skills are preparation, explanation, showing, observation and supervision.Bruce Barton
A kaizen event is a five-day team workshop with a specific goal or set of goals for an area that needs improvement. This event will be led by a team leader and will include training, data collection, brainstorming, and implementation. At the end of the event, the team leader will create a follow-up plan and a report to be submitted to management.
Many people are familiar with the term “kaizen”, which is Japanese for “change for better”. In business, kaizen refers to any activities that improve the function of a process. This article will look more closely at how to plan for a kaizen event and what you will experience over the five days.
What is a Kaizen Event?
Kaizen involves breaking down a process, removing any unnecessary elements, and then putting it back together in a new and improved way. The process should now work more smoothly and fully utilize the skill sets of everyone involved.
The goal is similar to a kaizen event, only on a larger scale. Kaizen events can target very specific areas such as:
- 5S Kaizen – A process that focuses on maintaining the standards and discipline of an organization.
- TPM – TPM emphasizes preventative maintenance to maximize the efficiency of equipment. It places a strong emphasis on encouraging operators to maintain their equipment to avoid inefficiencies.
- SMED – SMED is a system for minimizing the time it takes to complete equipment changeovers. The focus of SMED is to minimize the time involved in the changeover steps to simplify the remaining steps as well.
- Value Stream Mapping – Value stream mapping is a method of analyzing the current process a product or service goes through from its beginning stages.
Production is often a focus of kaizen events because of the savings and improvements it can bring to your company. However, kaizen events can be applied to many different areas of a business, not just production. A kaizen event can be useful for any business, regardless of your industry.
Whatever the focus on the kaizen event, it will be aimed at improving a specific area of your business. Now let’s look at what goes into planning a successful kaizen event.
Planning a Kaizen Event
A successful kaizen event will need strong leadership and thoughtful planning ahead of time. On the first day of your event, the last thing you want is employees that are standing around wondering what they are supposed to be doing.
A successful kaizen event can lead to major improvements in the areas of efficiency and quality. Before the event begins, you need to figure out exactly what you hope to achieve through your kaizen event. Here are four ways you can plan for a successful kaizen event:
- Decide the boundaries of the kaizen event
Of course, you should know what the goal of your event is and what you hope to accomplish. But you also need to know where it will take place and who should be involved.
- Communicate your goals to employees
Your kaizen event should not be a surprise to your employees. Let me know why you are having this event and what they can expect to gain from it.
- Decide on a team leader
You should select a team leader who will share your understanding about the importance of the event. This person will usually be a key supervisor in your company and someone who is focused on creating positive change as well.
- Create measures for performance
You need to have a clear understanding of what improvements you want to make. Put measurements in place to show current levels of performance so you have something to compare that to when the event is finished. You will also need to have an idea of what you will be doing during the kaizen event. Figure out a rough timeline for your event. This will ensure that you have everything you need for any specific projects you might do.
Experiencing the Kaizen Event
During your kaizen event, the team leader will provide training and support to the team. It is also important that they keep employees engaged for the majority of the event. A lack of enthusiasm during the kaizen event will make it harder to implement any changes once the event is over.
It is important to let the team come up with their own ideas for how to make improvements. Since they are closest to the work involved they are the best ones to come up with solutions for improvement.
Here is a brief summary of what each day of the event will entail:
- Day 1
The first day of your event will start with a kickoff and an explanation of why the event is important. There will usually be a training on the seven common forms of waste and a look at the current process that needs improvement. The first day of the kaizen event is about informing your employees and setting the stage for day two.
- Day 2
Day two is usually focused on documentation and data gathering. Employees will identify bottlenecks and identify what resources are necessary to complete their tasks.
- Day 3
On day three, employees will begin brainstorming possible solutions for improvement. They will create a plan that will identify a timeline for immediate and long-term improvements. Ideally, they should create a visual map to illustrate the impact of these changes.
- Day 4
On the fourth day of the event, employees will focus on the implementation of their plan. This day focuses on find ways to implement their changes with minimal impact to the operation. This can be one of the toughest days of the kaizen event.
- Day 5
On the final day of the event, employees will create a follow-up plan as well as a report for management. The teams should outline an overview of the best practices and things they learned. This can be useful for future kaizen events.
Conclusion
A kaizen event is not designed as a “quick fix” but as part of a solution for long-term improvement. Kaizen can be a valuable tool for positive change within any business. And with the right planning and tools, a kaizen event can deliver a number of positive improvements to your business.
Many businesses find that kaizen events help them gain a better understanding of their processes. By learning what does and does not work their entire organization feels more empowered toward creating positive change. The intangible benefits that come out of kaizen events are what many businesses find the most valuable.
Related Questions
What is kaizen activity?
Kaizen activity is a small and continuous improvement activity. Kind of like a daily vitamin for your workplace – little adjustments for big impact in the long run. These actions can be something as mundane as rearranging a workspace or revising a step in an operating procedure. Kaizen is all about simplicity and about involving everyone from the CEO to the newest employee in submitting items for improvement.
What is the 5 day kaizen event process?
Consider the 5 day kaizen event process a type of reality show, but instead of re-doing living rooms or bathrooms, you are re-doing a business process. Team training and problem definition are the topics on Day 1. Day 2 is about analyzing your current state and identifying solutions. So Day 3 is all about sanity checking and stress testing them. Day 4: PUT THE BEST SOLUTIONS INTO PLACE. Lastly, Day 5 closes out with sharing results and establishing next steps for sustaining the positive changes. It’s an concentrated, laser like explosion of creativity and problem-solving that can result in significantly better outcomes in a short time frame.
What is a kaizen example?
Suppose you were in a bustling coffee shop, where baristas kept running out of cups during peak hours. An example of kaizen here might be moving the storage for the cups closer to the coffee machines, so that every order speaks precious seconds. This minor switch could create swifter service, satisfied customers, and calmer baristas. It’s not so much reinventing the wheel, it’s just like getting all those little tweaks in there that make the wheel turn a little more easier.
What is a 5S kaizen event?
A 5S kaizen event is basically spring cleaning for your workspace, but on steroids. It primarily deals with streamlining the working environment using 5S principles — Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain. Envision a group making sense of a hodgepodge of a workspace turning into a seamless machine where everything has its place. They might establish color coding systems for different types of storage, set out daily routines for cleaning, or create visual representations of what order looks like for their environment. The result? A neater, more secure and more functional environment for the workspace that allows productivity to soar.
What are the benefits of Kaizen events?
Kaizen events are a great way to give your business processes the same kind of refreshing reset you do when you upgrade your phone! They can cause better productivity, lower scrap, and higher product quality. But the advantages are more than statistical. These events encourage a culture of continuous improvement, increase morale by allowing every voice to be heard, and even increase safety across the organization. Your success energy with Team Grit makes innovation the new normal in your organization.
What is included in the Kaizen event charter?
The Kaizen Event charter is your road map to the improvement journey. It usually covers topics like the purpose, scope, members, and chronology of the event. You’ll also find critical metrics used to measure success, resources required and any constraints to keep in mind. Consider it like a movie script — it will establish the setting, introduce the strings and describe the storyline (characters, problem, story, etc.) for your Kaizen event plot. This charter is to make sure that we all are on the same page and to keep the event focused and productive.
When to use a Kaizen event?
When You Need a Quick Win: Another common use of Kaizen events is focused improvement related to solving a specific problem or optimizing a process. They’re best when you’re trying to fix a bottleneck in your workflow, when you’re launching a new product line, or when you must quickly adjust to shifts in your industry. Best described as a way to ‘call in the SWAT team’ on your business processes for immediate, targeted action to deliver a result for something big – whether combatting a challenge or seizing an opportunity.
Who Should Participate in a KAIZEN Event?
A KAIZEN event is the Avengers of your workplace. You want a team that includes those directly in the process being improved, as well as new eyes from different departments. If you need to establish the details of a solution, include frontline workers who know the nitty-gritty, managers who can approve changes and, if relevant, customers or suppliers. The into account is that a combination of perspectives and expertise. But, if nothing else, just remember: the world of kaizen is full of unlikely heroes, and sometimes the best ones are the quiet intern or the maintenance staff member that you ditch to save — so don’t be afraid to bring them along on your kaizen superhero shelf.
How often should a Kaizen Day be organised?
There is no one perfect answer to how often you should have a Kaizen Day but just like watering a house plant, it needs regular love and care to flourish. While some organizations will benefit from moving to a monthly cadence with their Kaizen Days, for others it may work better to do them quarterly. Depending upon your organization size, culture and process complexity, the frequency could vary. The challenge lies in balancing between gaining momentum over as many events and avoiding event fatigue. The spirit of kaizen, though, is that it is a continuous process of slight improvements, so irrespective of whether you are having formal events or not, you should come with the mindset of incremental gains every given day.
