Rapid Process Improvement (Kaizen) Events
Rapid Process Improvement (Kaizen) Events
What is a Rapid Process Improvement Event?
What is a Rapid Process Improvement Event?
What is a Rapid Process Improvement Event?
- • Sometimes called a “Kaizen” (Continuous Improvement) Event
- • Focused and short duration event that achieves rapid and dramatic improvements
- • Short – 2-5 days
- • Focused – Attendees don’t perform regular duties
- ○ Seek perfection – but don’t wait for perfection
- • Participants come away empowered to affect change, and with a fuller understanding of the process, who is affected and how
What is the Sequence We Use?
What is the Sequence We Use?
What is the Sequence We Use?
- • Event Kickoff
- ○ Introductions & Icebreakers
- ○ Event Overview - What is the mission and how are we expected to accomplish it?
- • Current State Analysis
- ○ Understand where we are to help us get where we want to go
- ○ Build a common understanding of the process
- ■ Who is involved? Who is affected? What are the requirements?
- ○ Identify waste/non-value adding activities
- ○ Perform Root Cause Analysis (RCA) to determine why waste or failures were occurring
- • Future State Design
- ○ Brainstorm innovative and creative potential solutions
- ○ Select high benefit/easy to implement solutions first and then design implementation
- • Improvement Testing
- ○ Does this work? What are the kinks?
- ○ Identify testing process as early as possible in the event to figure out coordination and enable rapid feedback
- • Improvement Implementation
- ○ “What preparation does the workforce need so the improvement is fully effective the next business day?”
- ○ Is training required?
- • Event Wrap-up
- ○ Event report – we use A3 format
- ○ Sustainability plan, 30-day list, and parking lot issues
- ○ Team Presentation to Leadership
