Question

How can you improve your business with applied Kaizen "Continuous improvement"? ( Choose a product and then solve )

Kaizen Five-Step Plan

Answer 1

Kaizen provides us with a framework for continuous improvement. Kaizen encompasses the entire employees of companies i.e from CEO's to shop floor workmen. Kaizen is the process in which employees are encouraged to perform small improvements in their work. These improvements can be product or process improvements or improvements in office work etc. The idea behind kaizen is that such small improvements lead to large saving by elimination of wastages and non-value activity. Employees are incentivized to report kaizens. The incentives may be financial or recognition from the company. Eg: Consider a safe which needs to send out an alarm in case the safe is opened without authorisation. So a push-button sensor or a vibration sensor is introduced which will send out an alarm in case the safe door is opened without authorisation, The push-button sensor is attached to the door so when the door close, the button pushes inside and when the door opens, it will get released. The sensor will then activate the hooter or speaker which will send out the alarm. The vibration sensor sends out an alarm when it detects vibrations. This is an example of product kaizens. Example of process examples is improvement in inspection procedures by use of automated instruments or lasers to measure dimensions.

The Kaizen 5 step plans is as follows

1)Improvement Scope- Find out if there is scope for improvement in products or processes.

2) Analyze- current products or processes should be analysed and checked. Are the current methods of production good? why why analysis, Ishikawa diagrams, Pareto charts etc. can be used in this step.

3)Idea Generation - Ideas need to be generated through various tools like brainstorming, mapping etc can be used.

4)Implementation - The idea selected should be implemented monitored.

5)Standardization- The implemented idea should be standardized throughout the company and process changes should be documented.