Phase 4 · Improve
How to run a Kaizen event, from preparation to follow-up
A Kaizen event brings a small team together for a few days to improve one specific process, with the people who do the work. The changes are tried out on the spot, not left in a report.
In short
A Kaizen event is a short, focused improvement workshop, usually three to five days, in which a cross-functional team studies one process, removes waste and puts the new way of working in place before the event ends.
What it is
Kaizen is Japanese for “change for the better”. As a philosophy it means small improvements every day; a Kaizen event concentrates that effort into a few days on one well-scoped problem.
The days of the event are only the visible part. Much of the result depends on what happens before (scope, team, data) and after (the actions still open, and the follow-up that makes the change stick).
When to use it
- In the Improve phase, once the root causes are known and the solution has to be designed and tested.
- When the problem sits within one process or area that a small team can change in a few days.
- When the people who do the work need to design the change so that they adopt it.
How to do it, step by step
- 1Prepare the scope and the data. Agree with the sponsor which process, which goal and what is out of bounds. Gather the baseline data before the first day.
- 2Choose a small, mixed team. Five to eight people: those who do the work, someone from the next step and someone with no stake in how it is done today.
- 3Go and see the current process. Spend the first day where the work happens. Map how it is really done, not how the procedure says it is done.
- 4Design and try the changes. Choose the changes that attack the root causes and test them in the real process during the event. Adjust after each try.
- 5Standardise and present. Write down the new way of working, train those who were not there, and present the results and the open actions to management.
- 6Follow up at 30 days. Close the open actions and check the indicator. Without follow-up, the process tends to drift back to the old way.
Worked example
Case: a plant that wants new operators to reach standard output sooner.
Kaizen event on new-operator training, assembly line, four days
- 1Before: the sponsor approves the scope (assembly operators, from day one to release to production) and the goal of 9 weeks to standard output. Data on the last 11 new operators is collected.
- 2Day 1: the team (training manager, a shift leader, two experienced operators, the most recent new operator and HR) follows a new operator for a full shift and maps how training really happens.
- 3Day 2: the causes already found are checked on the line: no training path, training by imitation, a buddy who changes with the shifts. The team drafts a five-stage training path for the station.
- 4Day 3: the first two stages are tried with the most recent new operator, and the work instructions are rewritten as they are tested. The shift leaders agree a fixed buddy on the same shift for the first eight weeks.
- 5Day 4: the training path and a weekly progress sheet become the standard. The results and a 30-day action list, each action with an owner and a date, are presented to the plant manager.
- 6After 30 days: the open actions are reviewed, and the time to each stage is compared with the plan for the operators who have started since.
Common mistakes
- Holding the event without preparation: the first two days go on finding data and agreeing the scope.
- A scope too wide for a few days, which ends in a list of ideas instead of changes in place.
- Leaving out the people who do the work, or inviting them only to hear the result.
- Treating the last day as the end: the open actions and the follow-up are part of the event.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between kaizen and a Kaizen event?
Kaizen is the habit of improving a little every day. A Kaizen event is a planned workshop that concentrates improvement on one process over a few days.
How long does a Kaizen event last?
Usually three to five days, with preparation in the weeks before and a follow-up about 30 days after. Narrow problems can be handled in fewer days.
Who should take part in a Kaizen event?
The people who do the work, someone from the steps before and after, a facilitator, and a sponsor who can approve changes on the spot. Five to eight people is a workable size.