Kaizen – Just Do It!

 Kaizen means continuous improvement.

 Moreover, Kaizen means continuing
improvement in personal life, home life,
social life, and working life.
 When applied to the workplace Kaizen
means continuing improvement involving
everyone – managers and workers alike.
- Mr. Masaaki Imai (1986)
 Japanese word meaning
– Kai - gradual and orderly change, Zen -
for the better
 involves everyone in the organization
in small improvements using
conventional knowledge and tools
 without large capital investments.
A culture - way of life
 focusing on eliminating waste

 begins and ends with people

 Total system focus – not just

one department
 Kaizen Extends to
Individual Life
 Everybody deserves to and should be
willing to improve himself/herself for
the better continually.
“If a man has not been seen for
three days, his friends should take
a good look at him to see what
changes have befallen him” - an old
Japanese saying that describes how natural
Kaizen is
Kaizen is a daily process, the purpose of which goes
beyond simple productivity improvement. It is also a
process that, when done correctly, humanizes the
workplace, eliminates overly hard work , and teaches
people how to perform experiments on their work
using the scientific method and how to learn to spot
and eliminate waste in business processes.
In all, the process suggests a humanized
approach to workers and to increasing
productivity: "The idea is to nurture the
company's human resources as much as
it is to praise and encourage
participation in kaizen activities.“
Successful implementation requires "the
participation of workers in the
improvement.
 Kaizen Key Concepts
 Quality first
– If something can be improved, a measure must exist by
which improvement can be quantified – quality
characteristics
 Speak with data
 Variability control and recurrence prevention
 BASIC TIPS FOR KAIZEN ACTIVITIES

1. Discard conventional fixed ideas.

2. Think of how to do it, not why it cannot be done.
3. Do not make excuses. Start by questioning
current practices.
4. Do not seek perfection. Do it right away even if
for only 50% of target.
5. Correct it right away, if you make mistake.
6. Do not spend money for KAIZEN, use your
wisdom.
7. Wisdom is brought out when faced with hardship.
8. Ask 'WHY?" five times and seek root causes.
9. Seek the wisdom of ten people rather than the
knowledge of one.
10. KAIZEN ideas are infinite.
Three functions should happen simultaneously
within any organizations

 Maintenance
 Innovation
–Major improvements in
technology/equipment
–Requires substantial investment
–Best suited to a good economy
 Kaizen