Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to complete 80% of your improvement over a 3-5 day period? Imagine being able to master the skill sets necessary to effect such dramatic improvement in such a short time. Most Lean professionals would immediately line up for the training curriculum that would provide them with such skills. If you consider our system of supply and demand, you would believe that would be the case. Long waiting lists for training of such a high value. The problem is, unfortunately, most Lean professionals learn their skill set through mentoring, hands-on experience and lots of practice.
Understanding the Power of a Kaizen Burst Event
Kaizen is the Japanese word for “improvement.” When used in the business sense and applied to the workplace, Kaizen refers to activities that continuously improve all functions and involve all employees, from the CEO to the lowest level of workers. A Kaizen burst event is a short duration improvement project with a specific aim for improvement. Typically, they are week-long events led by a facilitator with the implementation team being predominantly members of the area in which the Kaizen event is being conducted. A few additional people from support areas and even management could also participate.
A Kaizen burst event, although normally promoted as one off events, should be part of an overall program of continuous improvement if they are to be successful and for gains to be sustained. Events in an environment where they are not supported or understood generally have gains that are quickly eroded over a short period of time, as people revert to their original ways of working.
Imagine having the highest level of mastery with such a powerful skill set. Getting the proper training, coaching and mentoring may be elusive, but there is hope.
Gaining Skills and Knowledge When Managing Kaizen Events
Lean professionals are focused and resourceful individuals. If they have the resources available, they can make things happen. Successful people spend a part of their waking hours reading, studying and practicing the skills of their profession. With the right set of resources, a Lean professional would be able to develop their skill set with managing a Kaizen burst event and put that knowledge to work!
We have compiled a comprehensive set of references to empower Lean professionals and enable them to better manage a Kaizen burst event:
ELECTRONIC FILES
Kaizen Before and After Template
Lean Ohio Kaizen Event References
DIGITAL BOOKS (Inexpensive)
BOOKS
Kaizen Event Facilitator Fieldbook
Kaizen for the Shop Floor: A Zero-Waste Environment with Process Automation
The Kaizen Event Planner: Achieving Rapid Improvement in Office, Service, and Technical Environments
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