1.1 Kaizen
1.1 Kaizen
1.1 Kaizen
1.2 Purpose of KaizenThe purpose for holding a Kaizen event is basically to identify waste in a manufacturing
process and to eliminate it, thereby improving production. A Kaizen event is Team
Oriented, as it gathers the managers, operators, and owners of a process in a specific place
to analyze, and map out the existing methods of the operation. It is also a forum for
developing, discussing, and allowing changes to be made to improve the process. Usually
there are four stages that a Kaizen Team undertakes. Step One: Analyze and map the
current processes of a specific area of the plant.
Step Two: Identify the problems and the opportunities for improvement.
Step Three: Implement changes to the process that allow for improved workflow.
Step Four: Evaluate the changes made and follow up, with adjustments as required.
1.3 Preconditions needed prior to Kaizen implementationKaizen is a Japanese philosophy that encourages the continuous improvement of one's
personal life and the ongoing quest for improvement at work. For a small business, a
Kaizen strategy is one that works to constantly improve the performance of employees
and managers, the interaction between staff and management, and the pursuit of better
productivity. Certain conditions need to be part of your corporate culture for a Kaizen
strategy to take effect in your organization.
Job Satisfaction- For a Kaizen strategy to work, your employees must be satisfied
with their jobs and be interested in working to continuously improve their
performance. Your human resources group should survey employees to determine the
staff attitudes toward job satisfaction and work to improve the workplace conditions
Questioning-A Kaizen strategy requires a lot of questions about individual and group
performance. Your staff needs to be prepared to field a lot of questions about why
they did something a particular way, what results they were hoping for and how they
judge the results they achieved. Let your staff know that these questions are not an
Kaizen to be effective.
No Finger Pointing-When something goes wrong, a common defense for employees
is to begin pointing fingers at others. You need to create a culture where mistakes are
looked at as opportunities to learn and improve as opposed to being reasons for
accusations.
1.4 The Kaizen ProcessKaizen events are among the most important activities of a Lean enterprise.
Successful Kaizens help build a Lean culture and measurably improve company
performance. Kaizen success requires effective Planning, Implementation, Follow-up
and Evaluation. IMECs expert Lean implementers will work with your company at
each phase of the Kaizen process, helping plan and prepare for events, facilitating
Kaizen events, working with your team to ensure effective follow-up and completion
of the improvement process, and evaluating the results to continuously improve your
Kaizen process.
Plan
The Kaizen Planning phase, within the 6 Sigma DMAIC framework, seeks to Define,
Measure, and Analyze the process that will be the Kaizen focus. There are three levels
of Kaizen planning:
High-Level Planning links the Enterprise Lean Deployment Strategy to the specific
processes that need to be improved and the timeline for improvement.
Mid-Level Planning uses Value Stream Mapping to select specific areas of
improvement that will be addressed through Kaizen events versus 6 sigma projects
and just-do-it activities.
Event-Level Planning uses checklists and standard documents to ensure that
everything is in place so each Kaizen event is conducted successfully.
Event planning includes:
- Kaizen team member selection
- Kaizen charter approval
- Location preparation (including equipment, materials, etc.)
- Data needs identification and preparation
Implement
Kaizen event implementation, within the DMAIC framework, is primarily focused on
actual Improvement, although some additional Measurement and Analysis may be
required. Kaizen Implementation requires a company to:
Train members of the Kaizen team on the Lean principles that they will be applying
Review the VSM and perform additional measurements and analyses, if needed
Facilitate an ideation/brainstorming process to identify improvement options
Implement improvements by breaking apart the process and putting it back
together without the waste
Prepare an action plan with a list of activities required to complete the Kaizen
process
Verify the alignment of the selected improvements with the future state VSM
Identify expected measurable improvements
Obtain participant feedback
Report Kaizen event results to champions and celebrate success
Follow-up
This phase of the Kaizen process involves the completion of the Improvement and
Control DMAIC elements. The success of the Kaizen depends on timely completion
of the Improvement process and effective change management. This process involves:
Following-up to ensure that action items are successfully completed
Working with the Lean champion to break down obstacles
Measuring the actual results of the Kaizen to document and quantify benefits
Establishing process control to ensure the ability to consistently obtained improved
performance.
Evaluate
This is the last phase of the Kaizen process cycle. A Lean enterprise is a learning
organization that recognizes Kaizen as a continuous process of improvement through:
Identifying improvements to the Kaizen implementation process
Encouraging employees to identify further improvement opportunities
Establishing a schedule to re-evaluate the VSM and start a new Kaizen improvement
cycle.
what should be done rather than what can be done. Continuous improvement is supported
by three key principles:
5 whys?
5S
Toyota Production System goes beyond the areas that are purely related to production
processes. It also extends to the whole organization sales and MARKETING,
SEIRI Sifting
SEITON Sorting
SEIKETSU Spick-and-span
SHITSUKE Sustain