Critical Factors That Determine the Success of Kaizen Events

A Kaizen Event is a way to focus on improvement to an existing process. It typically involves gathering together the frontline employees, managers and stakeholders involved with a specific operation, mapping the existing process, soliciting ideas for changes that will address problems and then implementing those that make improvements.

Kaizen is also notable for what it is not. 

Villanova University’s Lean Six Sigma course teaches that Kaizen Events are not designed to lead to a cycle of big projects and events. Rather, the goal of Kaizen is to tap into the benefits of a culture of continuous improvement and make incremental improvements that can lead to significant benefits cumulatively. 

These improvements must be within the scope of the people who participate in the process, not something that is asked of someone outside the process.

What Does Kaizen Mean?

Kaizen comes from two words. The first is “kai,” which means change. The second is “zen,” which means good or for the better. At its core, Kaizen Events are designed to lead to “good changes” that solve challenges and provide a better product or service to customers.

In the business world, Kaizen has come to represent the idea of continuous process improvement. It’s an approach that started at Toyota and has been emulated by businesses across multiple industries.

What is a Kaizen Event?

As taught in the Lean Six Sigma course, a Kaizen Event brings together all the people involved in making a process work correctly. This includes operators of a process, their direct managers, executives and other stakeholders. 

At these events, the focus is completely on the process under discussion and nothing else. Although there is not a set time for a Kaizen Event, they are typically three to five-day events.

During Kaizen events, people spend the bulk of the time brainstorming ideas on how to solve specific challenges, cut waste, maximize value, streamline flow and reduce errors. In addition to these benefits, a Kaizen Event also leads to employees feeling a sense of empowerment. Their input is critical to making a Kaizen Event successful.

Breaking Down a Kaizen Event by Days

A Kaizen Event is part of the Lean methodology of process improvement that focuses on eliminating waste. It also has some similarities to the DMAIC methodology (define, measure, analyze, improve and control) used in Six Sigma. A successful Kaizen Event must have a clear and concise objective, along with immediately available resources and rapid results.

According to Villanova’s Lean Six Sigma Black Belt course, a five-day Kaizen Event should follow these steps.

Day 1: Begin training on fundamental Lean principles. The team should perform a waste walk (identifying areas of waste in a process) and gather data.

Day 2: Brainstorm ideas to improve the process. This can involve plan development, action item assignments, filling out time observation forms, constructing spaghetti charts and measuring travel distances.

Day 3: Time for action. The team might continue brainstorming activities, but by the end of the day, an improvement plan should be implemented.

Day 4: Bugs are worked out and the process is refined. At the end of this day or the beginning of the next, a discussion should take place on how to sustain the improved process.

Day 5: The last day involves a presentation to management, and a celebration of the work that has been completed.

Kaizen Event Best Practices

The above outlines how a Kaizen Event can break down over a five-day period. But what about the steps involved in an event, no matter how many days it lasts? The following outlines some of the major steps involved in planning for and implementing a successful Kaizen Event.

Planning the Kaizen Event

Preparation before the Kaizen Event is key. The first order of business is to establish the purpose of the event, the process that will be targeted, the list of who needs to attend and the desired outcome of the event.

Kaizen Events are sometimes led by a Lean Sensei. According to Six Sigma Master Black Belt and Villanova faculty member Tina Agustiady, “a Lean Sensei is a teacher who has mastered the skill and possesses leadership attributes. A Sensei is not only a good leader, but a good listener who facilitates Kaizen Events.”

The Lean Sensei or event leader should also craft a problem statement. This statement can be developed by answering these questions, according to the Association for Supply Chain Management:

• What is or isn’t occurring?
• Where in the process does it occur?
• Who does the problem impact?
• When did it occur, and has it occurred before?
• What is the magnitude of the issue in terms of frequency, cost, time and customer satisfaction?

Another key issue before the meeting is getting input (through a customer survey or other means) of the opinions of the end user. This is vital. Everything in Lean ultimately focuses on the impact on customers. What benefits customers is kept and improved. What doesn’t should be eliminated.

During the Kaizen Event

Here’s a list of the different steps that should be taken during the Kaizen Event itself.

• Train participants on the Lean and Six Sigma principles and tools that will be used
• Present input from customers, which should provide a clear picture of where the process is succeeding and failing
• Present data on the current operation
• Map out of the current operation using a flow chart
• Analyze the current process to find steps that don’t add value (waste)
• Brainstorm ideas to improve these areas
• Establish a process to implement changes
• Define ways to measure the success or failure of the changes
• Present a report on the findings to leadership

Many of these steps may involve the group reaching a consensus. The idea is to completely focus and move quickly on the issue. Many Lean tools may also be used, depending on the situation. Some choices include determining Takt Time (customer demand rate), using the Five Whys and creating a spaghetti map for the process.

15 Rules for Kaizen Events

The Lean Six Sigma Black Belt course also offers key points to keep in mind as you participate in and/or facilitate a Kaizen Event. They include:

• Keep an open mind to change
• Maintain a positive attitude
• Create a blameless environment
• Encourage nonjudgmental thinking
• Be aware of multiple alternatives
• Treat others as you want to be treated
• Respect and involve all team members
• One person, one vote
• Ignore position/rank
• Create a team environment
• There’s no such thing as a dumb question
• Create a bias for action – just do it
• Creativity before capital
• Never leave in silent disagreement
• Have fun

Remember to refer back to these rules as you’re facilitating a Kaizen Event.

“In my experience with having run dozens of short, focused Kaizen Events, I have found that most of these events returned improvements in excess of 50%. Additionally, they resulted in a rewarding experience for employees while increasing their sense of process commitment and ownership.” – Marv Meissner, MBA, Professor of Practice at Villanova.