Kaizen Event
Overview of Kaizen Event
Kaizen Event (also known as: Kaizen Blitz, Kaizen Burst, Gemba Kaizen or Kaikaku) is a powerful Lean execution tool. It is a focused, intense and short-term project in which a cross-functional team makes rapid improvements in a short period of time. An event normally takes 3 to 5 days and the intensity and urgency to take actions to solve specific issues overcomes the inertia and resistance as people have little time to think of reasons for delay.
While It is hard for people who are not familiar with Kaizen Event to believe significant improvement can be made within a week, it is very common to re-engineer a process or improve a target area in a Kaizen Event week.
Kaizen Event is a great way to show employees who are not confident about continuous improvement that they can make a difference, and can build their confidence to embark on other continuous improvement projects. It is also a powerful way to convince skeptics on the effectiveness of Lean and win them over convincingly.
Application of Kaizen Event to Services Industries
Kaizen Event approach is applicable to both the manufacturing and service industries. To date, it has been successfully implemented in manufacturing, engineering , banking , finance, logistics, healthcare, government and public service with phenomenal results.
Common Target Areas for Kaizen Event Implementation
Process Redesign
Layout Redesign (Manufacturing Plant, Office Layout)
Work Cell implementation
5 S (Store, production floor, Office)
Quick Changeover (SMED, Quick Changeover, Reduction of Service Operation Preparation Time)
Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)
Kanban (Pull Systems)
Kaizen Office / Lean Office (Streamlining office and Administrative Processes)
Projects that May NOT be Suitable for Kaizen Event Approach
Kaizen Event may NOT be suitable for complex problems that involve detailed analysis, experiments or statistical methods. These problems usually need more time than the 3-5 days. It is also important to note that while Kaizen Event is an important Lean / Lean Six Sigma tool, it is not a substitute for a holistic Lean / Lean Six Sigma strategy. Organizations should develop a well thought out Lean / Lean Six Sigma strategy and use Kaizen Event as one of the execution tools.
Related pages that you may be interested in:
- Lean
- Lean Implementation Tips
- Value Stream Mapping | VSM
- 5S
- Total Productive Maintenance | TPM
- Single Minute Exchange of Die | SMED
- Lean Office
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