To implement this oriental methodology, seven consecutive steps must be carried out that allow for the continuous improvement of business processes. With the Kaizen philosophy, you obtain a series of advantages that are described in this article.
Beyond industrial processes and activities, the principles of the Kaizen methodology can be applied in everyday life to ensure continuous improvement . It seeks to detect those specific points where changes must be made so that there is a harmonious integration between the parts of a whole, in this case business processes.
Steps to implement the Kaizen methodology
The situation and reality of each company will be decisive in order to apply the Kaizen methodology . This is because, to start the continuous improvement cycle, it is necessary to know the real conditions of the organization , in order to complete the following seven steps that allow implementing this method:
1. Select the area where it will be applied
All employees of the organization must participate in the application of this philosophy, since they can share their opinions and comments for improvement. To do this, the first thing that management must do is select the topic or area that they want to improve. Generally, to optimize productivity times, customer needs for quality or accident reduction, thinking about safety, among others, are taken into account.
2. Select the members of the work team
The secret of this step is to have professionals from different disciplines, in order to form a heterogeneous team. This allows everyone from different areas to contribute their knowledge and experience, where experts in the subject to be improved should stand out. Each team needs a leader who coordinates the activities and can serve as a spokesperson to present the progress.
3. Obtain and analyze the data
In this case, the work team must look for all the data that allows cpa email database them to determine the reasons that cause the problem or problems detected. With the information gathered, strategies can be created to improve what they want to optimize. Currently, this process is supported by computer tools that help to carry out a detailed analysis, avoiding errors and facilitating the streamlining of the activity.
4. Observe and verify on site
It is essential to observe what is happening directly at the site, space or area where a problem was found. This allows the team to verify that the data obtained in the previous step corresponds to reality and thus incorporate the additional information found and provided by the people responsible for that area. In this way, decisions can be made with the confirmed information.
5. Establish measures to remedy the problem
When critical problems are found, it is necessary to establish some countermeasures that allow the reform of the process that needs to be improved. To carry out this task, a calendar must be drawn up in which the dates on which the optimizations will be implemented are recorded, as well as the person or persons directly responsible for the plan that will be executed to solve the complications previously detected.
6. Monitor and evaluate results
In order to verify that the application of the Kaizen methodology is achieving the expected effects, it is necessary for the work team to closely monitor each of the actions carried out. Generally, reports and graphs are used to perform a detailed analysis, through which it is possible to detect whether the previous steps must be carried out again so that the affected area has a solution.
7. Record results and standardize
After several months of implementing the steps of the Kaizen philosophy and observing positive results, it should be noted that the problem that was detected has been improved and is under control. Likewise, this experience serves to create a manual that will allow the activities carried out to be used in similar cases that arise in other work areas.