1. What is Kaizen Event?
Kaizen Event is considered one of the most powerful tool for lean execution. 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 overcomes the intellectual resistance to a new paradigm as people have little time to think of reasons for delay. It is common to completely re-engineer a process in a event week.
2. What are the other names of Kaizen Event?
It is also known as :
- Kaizen Blitz,
- Kaizen Burst,
- Gemba Kaizen,
- Kaikaku.
2. Is the approach applicable to the services Industries?
The approach is applicable to both the manufacturing and service industries. To date, it has be successfully implemented to : banking , finance, logistics, healthcare, government and public service with phenomenon results.
3. What are some of common target areas of the approach?
- 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)
4. Can Kaizen Event approach solve all problems?
It may not be suitable for complex problems that involve detail 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 Blitz 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.
5. How can Kaizen Event helps in Lean implementation?
It 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 once and for all!
Kaizen Event is considered one of the most powerful tool for lean execution. 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 overcomes the intellectual resistance to a new paradigm as people have little time to think of reasons for delay. It is common to completely re-engineer a process in a event week.
2. What are the other names of Kaizen Event?
It is also known as :
- Kaizen Blitz,
- Kaizen Burst,
- Gemba Kaizen,
- Kaikaku.
2. Is the approach applicable to the services Industries?
The approach is applicable to both the manufacturing and service industries. To date, it has be successfully implemented to : banking , finance, logistics, healthcare, government and public service with phenomenon results.
3. What are some of common target areas of the approach?
- 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)
4. Can Kaizen Event approach solve all problems?
It may not be suitable for complex problems that involve detail 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 Blitz 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.
5. How can Kaizen Event helps in Lean implementation?
It 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 once and for all!
