If you’re looking to improve your business, then you should consider using a Kaizen event. Kaizen is a Japanese word that means “continuous improvement”. In the business world, Kaizen events are used to implement small changes that can lead to big improvements.
If you want to learn more about hosting a successful Kaizen event, keep reading!
What is a Kaizen Event?
A Kaizen event, also known as a Kaizen blitz, is typically a week-long event where a focused group works to identify and implement improvements for a process.
Kaizen events are a tool used in Lean manufacturing to promote continuous improvement. The ultimate goal of these events is to reduce waste and improve the efficiency of a process.
🤿 DIVE DEEPER: Read my Complete Guide to Continuous Improvement (Kaizen) here to get a greater understanding of the concept.
The improvements that are identified during a Kaizen event are usually low-cost solutions that are relatively straightforward to implement. Therefore, this process requires creative problem-solving and teamwork.
Although Kaizen events are typically used in manufacturing environments, they can also be used in other industries or in daily life to implement improvements. Any situation or process with associated waste can benefit from a focused Kaizen event.
When Should You Host a Kaizen Event?
There are several times when it’s a good idea to use a Kaizen event.
These include:
- When there is a specific quality or efficiency issue with a process that is critically impacting the business.
- When you are trying to reach a specific goal.
- When you want to spread a continuous improvement mindset within an organization.
Who Should Be Involved in a Kaizen Event?
Kaizen Sponsor
Kaizen events are typically led by a sponsor who has experience with Lean methodology. The sponsor is key for the success of the Kaizen event. Therefore, it is vital that they are passionate about driving improvements and are capable of keeping the team focused and motivated.
Kaizen Team Members
Beyond the sponsor, a cross-functional team of 6-10 people who interact with the process on a regular basis should be appointed to participate in the Kaizen event.
It should be the first priority to include frontline workers whose everyday work revolves around the process you are looking to improve. These employees will have the greatest perspective on what issues exist in the process since they are living it on a daily basis.
Beyond those workers, you should also plan to include supervisors as well as technical resources, such as engineers and maintenance. If there are any other departments that interact with the process or will have a stake in its success, you should include representatives from those groups as well.
By having representatives from all areas of the business, the team can ensure that everyone has a voice in the changes that are being made and that they will be implemented correctly.
What are the Benefits of a Kaizen Event?
Kaizen events provide a number of benefits. Some of the most notable benefits include:
- Improved communication and collaboration among team members
- Increased creativity and problem solving skills
- Faster implementation of changes
- More ownership and accountability for results amongst employees
- Increased efficiency and productivity
What are the Steps for Hosting a Kaizen Event?
1. Preparation
The best way to ensure a successful kaizen event is to prepare for it. This includes:
- making sure that the goals of the event are clear,
- setting a clear timeline,
- and preparing for potential roadblocks.
It’s also important to make sure the team is organized and has all the tools they need to succeed. In particular, you should get a clipboard for each team member so that they can record observations as they walk through the process during the event. You may also want to have a whiteboard and markers available as well as sticky notes for recording ideas and colored sticky dots so that team members can mark which ideas they think are priorities.
The sponsor for the Kaizen event should be leading this preparation stage. They should clearly define what the scope and goals of the event are as well as what deliverables the team needs to complete by the end of the event. An event location and schedule should also be set as a part of this phase.
The sponsor should then communicate this out to the team members in a brief summary at least several days before the Kaizen event begins. This will allow the team to begin to digest the expectations for the event.
2. Training
In order for a team to be successful during a Kaizen event, they also need adequate training on what a Kaizen event is and what the expectations are. This should also include training on the goals of the event, the timeline, and how to effectively work together as a team. Typically, the Kaizen event sponsor is responsible for training the team.
Organizations typically use Kaizen events to introduce their employees to the idea of continuous improvement. Since this can be a rather abstract concept in theory, it can be helpful to host this type of event where employees can learn practical skills for applying a continuous improvement mindset to the job that they complete everyday.
Therefore, training is often the most vital part of these events.
It’s almost important to remember that training is an ongoing process. This means training should occur before, during, and after the event. For example,
- Before the event: the sponsor will only be able to explain the theory of how a Kaizen event works.
- During the event: the sponsor should be sure to answer any questions that arise as the team is working through the Kaizen process.
- After the event: the sponsor should follow-up with the team on any further questions they have, lessons they have learned, or observations they have made about the Kaizen event process.
This will ensure that the team is effectively able to develop their skills and feel empowered to continue this practice after the event ends.
3. Walk Through the Process
Once the team is aware of how a Kaizen event should work and clearly understands the event’s goals, you should begin by walking through the process.
Supply each team member with a clipboard for note-taking, and then break the team up into smaller groups of two or three.
These groups should then walk through the process that you are working to improve and should write down any potential sources of waste or other issues that they can identify.
At this point, the team members should only be identifying sources of waste or other issues NOT trying to come up with solutions. Make sure that this is clear before beginning this step of the process.
4. Discuss Findings
After the team has had sufficient time to walk through the process in smaller groups, you should all come back together to discuss the findings.
Each team member should be given a chance to voice their thoughts on what they observed.
As this is happening, the team should write down each observation on a sticky note and place it on the whiteboard. That way, every thought is clearly captured.
If two team members had the same observation, it should only be written down once.
Also, you may want to consider grouping observations to make them more clear. For example, you can divide the whiteboard into three sections and label them “People”, “Process”, and “Equipment/Tools”. Then, you can place each observation into one of these categories so that you have a clearer idea of what category your sources of waste or issues fall into.
You may also find that there are observations that do not fit the scope of this current event. These could include policy issues, supplier issues, or the need for new process equipment. Typically, these types of changes will require more time and attention than just a short Kaizen event. In order to ensure these ideas are not lost, the sponsor should place them in a “parking lot” for further discussion with appropriate parties outside of the Kaizen event.
5. Prioritize Ideas
Once every observation has been captured on a sticky note, you will probably realize that you have more ideas than can be addressed in one Kaizen event.
This is not a bad problem to have since it means you can host even more of these events in the future, BUT you will need to decide what observations you should address at this point.
So, how do you do this?
Similarly to every other step of the Kaizen event, you should work together as a team and ensure everyone has a voice!
Start by giving each team member a few colored sticker dots. Typically, you should give each team member enough dots to cover about 20-30% of the observations listed. For example, if there are 12 observations on the board, each team member should be given 2-4 dots.
They can then use these dots to mark which observations they believe are the highest priority to be addressed.
Whichever observation has the most votes at the end of this should be your highest priority to address.
6. Determine Possible Solutions
Now that the team has a clear idea of which source of waste or issue you are going to work together to address, you should begin discussing possible solutions.
The team should be encouraged to work together to problem solve. Each member of the team was selected because they have a unique view of the process which is vital for the success of any change. By working together, the team can more easily achieve their goals and ensure that any change that they implement will be successful.
A structured approach to determining solutions would be to use root cause analysis. Some examples of root cause analysis tools include the 5 why’s, Ishiwaka fishbone diagrams, and fault tree analyses.
5 Why Technique Example
For example, let’s take a look at how you could use the 5 why technique.
Suppose the issue you are trying to address is that the operator takes a while to complete the boxing and labeling process. You can drill down to the root cause by asking why.
⚠️
ISSUE: It takes the operator 2 minutes to box and label each product.
Why? They spend 90 seconds of this time walking to print and retrieve a label.
Why? The label printer is located 50 feet away.
Why? The label printer is stored on a desk in the area.
Why? This is the only suitable location with an electrical outlet.
Why? The workflow for the process is not optimized.
✔️
Root Cause: The workflow for the process is not optimized.
By completing this analysis, the team is able to discover the root cause of their issue which makes it clear what needs to be done to successfully solve the issue.
For example, in this case the team could consider having maintenance setup another power supply so that the printer can be located closer to the workstation. If this is not a reasonable action, they can also look at reorganizing the workflow so that employees are boxing products right next to the desk where the label printer currently is.
7. Implement Solutions
Once the team has a clear idea of what to do to solve the issue, you should work on implementing this solution in a controlled environment.
You can then test whether this solution is actually as successful as you expected. If not, you can discuss and test any adjustments that could be made until you achieve the desired result.
As stated earlier, issues that you are trying to resolve during a Kaizen event should not take long to implement. For example, you can reorganize the flow of a process. If you determine that the solution will require a longer-term effort or significant resources to implement, you should create a separate Lean project for this outside the Kaizen event.
8. Follow-Up
Once the Kaizen event is over, it’s important to follow up and make sure the changes are consistently followed. This includes making a plan for training all employees on the new process and making sure everyone is aware of their responsibilities.
You should also spend time following up with the Kaizen team about their thoughts on the event and continuous improvement as a whole. It is important to discuss lessons learned and areas for improvement. This will allow you to continue to foster a mindset of continuous improvement throughout the organization.
Finally, it is important to track the results of the event over a longer period to ensure that they are positive. For example, you can appoint a process owner, such as an engineer from the Kaizen team, to continually follow up with the change over a period of several months. The Kaizen event sponsor should check in with this individual on a regular basis to ensure everything is going well and to provide guidance if adjustments are needed. By doing this, you can ensure that the changes made during the event are permanent and have a positive impact on the business.
Example Kaizen Event Timeline
Now that you know the Kaizen event process, let’s break this down into a timeline so you can see how these steps could fit into a week-long event.
Prior to the Event
The sponsor should complete the preparation phase prior to the Kaizen event so that all team members come into the event with a clear idea of the scope and goals.
📅 Day One
Initial training on the Kaizen event should take place on day one. The team should also complete the “walk the process” step to identify potential sources of waste or other issues.
📅 Day Two
The team should regroup and discuss their findings from walking the process the previous day. They should also prioritize these ideas and determine what issue they will address during this event. Then, the team can complete a root cause analysis for this issue and determine a solution.
📅 Day Three
The team should work on implementing the solution that they determined the previous day. They can then begin testing the effectiveness of this solution.
📅 Day Four
The team should continue testing the effectiveness of the solution and determine if any further changes are required to successfully resolve the issue.
📅 Day Five
On the final day, the team should finish confirming that their solution is effective. If they determine that more work is needed to fully address the issues in the area, they should make a plan for a future Kaizen event or pull in other resources for a longer-term Lean project, if necessary.
The team should also discuss any lesson learned and ask the sponsor any lingering questions they have about the Kaizen event process. Everyone on the team should leave the event feeling motivated to carry the continuous improvement mentality over into their daily work.
After the Event
After the Kaizen event is complete, a process owner, such an engineer, should continue to follow up with any changes made during the event over a longer period of time.
The Kaizen sponsor should follow up with this individual regularly to provide guidance if anything is straying off course.
This will ensure that the change is sustainable and is driving a positive impact for the business.
Roadblocks During a Kaizen Event ❌
No matter how well you plan, there will always be roadblocks during a Kaizen event. This is to be expected and it’s important to have a plan for dealing with them.
Some common roadblocks include:
- Lack of resources
- Lack of training
- Unclear goals or objectives
- Poor communication
- Resistance to change
The first four of these roadblocks can be addressed by ensuring an appropriate sponsor is selected to lead the Kaizen event. The success and organization of a Kaizen event relies heavily on the leader of the event. You MUST ensure that this person is knowledgeable on the principles of Kaizen and Lean and that they are passionate about spreading this knowledge to the team.
The fifth roadblock–resistance to change–is a bit trickier. It’s a well-known fact that many people do not like change. This is a mentality that must be altered for continuous improvement to be successful. You can achieve this through properly training employees on the benefits of continuous improvement as well as allowing them to test out improvement ideas themselves so that they feel comfortable with the purpose of the change.
By anticipating these roadblocks, you can develop a plan for dealing with them. This will help keep the event on track and ensure that tasks are completed efficiently.
Tips for Kaizen Event Success ✔️
In order to host a successful Kaizen event, here are ten tips you can follow:
- Set clear goals and objectives.
- Communicate clearly with all stakeholders.
- Make sure everyone is on board with the goals of the event.
- Set a clear timeline and make sure everyone is aware of it.
- Train the team extensively.
- Plan for roadblocks and understand how to deal with them.
- Use the 8 wastes of Lean as a baseline for identifying sources of waste in a process.
🤿 DIVE DEEPER: To learn more about the 8 wastes of Lean and how to identify them, read my article here.
- Encourage creativity and problem solving among team members.
- Be open to new ideas and be willing to make changes.
- Celebrate successes and learn from failures.
By following these tips, you can ensure that your Kaizen event is successful and provides the desired results.
Conclusion
A Kaizen event is a simple but effective way to improve productivity and efficiency in a process. It can provide a number of benefits beyond the expected efficiency gains such as improved creativity and problem solving skills and faster implementation of changes.
By setting clear goals, including the right people, training the team extensively, and planning for roadblocks, you can ensure a successful event!
Was this information helpful for planning your next Kaizen event? Please leave any thoughts or questions you have in the comments below!
