2. INTRODUCTION
Masaaki Imai is known as
the developer of Kaizen.
改 ('kai') KAI means
'change' or 'the action to
correct'.
善 ('zen') ZEN means
'good'
5. FEATURES OF KAIZEN
• Can be used in both manufacturing and non-manufacturing
environments.
Widely applicable
• Kaizen events will generate quick results, measurable results,
establish the baseline, and measure the change.
Highly effective & results oriented
• Team members can be from various functions of the business.
Top management participation is encouraged.
Team based & cross functional
• Every member of a Kaizen Team will walk away from the event
learning something new.
A Learning Experience
6. Objectives
Understand the key concepts of Kaizen.
Manage Kaizen activities as a mean to eliminate waste.
Learning the essential tools and techniques for problem
solving.
Define the key steps in conducting a Kaizen event.
Explain the role of management in Kaizen
implementation.
Understand the critical success factors in sustaining
Kaizen activities.
7. Phases in Kaizen
A. Select an event.
B. Plan an event.
C. Implement an event.
D. Follow-up an event.
9. Quality circles
Volunteer group - employees, who are trained to identify, analyse
and solve work-related problems and present their solutions to management.
Improves the performance of the organization.
Motivates and enriches the work of employees.
First established in Japan in 1962 in the Nippon Wireless and Telegraph
Company.
11. Kaizen cycle
PDCA (plan-do-check-act) cycle
Also known as Deming or Shewhart
cycle.
It is a continuous, never ending
process, ie, ad infinitum
12. Kaizen v/s Innovation
Kaizen
Un dramatic
Low cost
Low risk
Human effort
No brainer
Innovation
Dramatic
High cost
High risk
Technology
More thought
13. Varieties of Kaizen methods
Individual v/s teamed
Day-to-day v/s special event
Process level v/s sub process level
14. In everyday life
Consider the case of a student’s bag. The items can be classified into
Notes and assignments
Stationary (pens, notepads etc.)
Other items like calculators, pen drive etc.
Regular checking of the stationary items ensures that the notemaking is
not affected due to lack of stationary.
Keeping notes and assignments organized enables faster access to them.
Overall checking of bag at regular intervals ensures that no necessary
items are missing.
15. Pros
Kaizen reduces waste - like inventory waste, time waste and
workers motion.
Kaizen improves space utilization and product quality.
Results in higher employee moral and job satisfaction.
Teaches workers how to solve everyday problems.
16. Cons
Resistance to change.
Lack of proper procedure to implement.
Too much suggestion may lead to confusion and time wastage.
Difficult to implement in large scale process, where analyzing
requires a lot of time.
17. Conclusion
“Kaizen” or “continuous improvement” should be a part of our
everyday life.
The concept is simple but if properly applied can lead to significant
efficiency improvements for organizations.
Kaizen and its associated concepts like PDCA, Quality Circles have
been critical to the success of large organizations like Toyota,
Canon and Nippon.