Kaizen

A kaizen event (also called a kaizen blitz) is a focused, short-duration improvement project — typically lasting 3 to 5 days — that brings together a cross-functional team to solve a specific problem or improve a particular process. The event follows a structured sequence: on Day 1, the team studies the current state by going to the gemba (the actual place where work happens), mapping the process, and collecting data. Days 2–3 are spent brainstorming solutions, building consensus, and implementing changes directly on the shop floor. Day 4 involves testing the new process, measuring results, and making adjustments. Day 5 is dedicated to standardizing the improvement, updating work instructions, and presenting results to leadership. Well-facilitated kaizen events consistently achieve 30–50% improvements in the targeted metric — whether that is changeover time, floor space utilization, defect rate, or throughput. The key success factors are executive sponsorship, a clear scope, dedicated team time (not part-time participation), and rigorous follow-up to sustain the gains.

While kaizen events deliver dramatic improvements to specific processes, the real power of kaizen lies in the daily practice of small improvements by every employee. Effective daily kaizen requires a suggestion system that makes it easy for workers to submit ideas, a rapid review process that evaluates suggestions within 24–48 hours, and a recognition program that celebrates implemented ideas regardless of their size. Toyota's suggestion system historically receives over 700,000 ideas per year from its workforce, with an implementation rate above 95%. The most successful suggestion systems focus on ideas that the submitter can implement themselves with minimal approval — such as rearranging a workstation, creating a visual aid, or modifying a jig. Supervisors play a crucial role by coaching workers in problem identification and by removing barriers to implementation. Over time, daily kaizen builds a culture where improvement is everyone's job, not just the province of industrial engineers or consultants.

Production scheduling is rich with kaizen opportunities because it sits at the intersection of multiple functions — sales, planning, production, materials, and shipping. Common scheduling kaizen targets include reducing the time to create the weekly production schedule, improving schedule adherence rates, minimizing the number of schedule changes per week, and shortening the replanning cycle when disruptions occur. A practical kaizen approach starts by mapping the current scheduling process: Who provides demand data? How is capacity calculated? How are conflicts resolved? Where do manual handoffs cause delays or errors? Even small improvements — such as standardizing the format of order data from sales, creating visual triggers for capacity overloads, or establishing clear rules for priority conflicts — can dramatically improve scheduling effectiveness. Digital tools like LinePlanner amplify these gains by reducing the manual effort of schedule creation and providing real-time visibility that eliminates the information lag that causes many scheduling problems.