Kaizen

Kaizen

What is Kaizen

Kaizen, simply put means continuous improvement. In Japanese Kai means “to take apart” and zen means “to make good.” Together these two words mean to take something apart in order to make it better. Kaizen is based on the fundamentals of scientific analysis in which you “take apart” the elements of a process or system to understand how it works, and then discover how to influence or improve it. Continuous improvement is the small, gradual, incremental changes applied over a long period of time that add up to a major impact on business and quality results.

The first thing one needs to do is to come to the realization of how important continuous improvement is – how the smallest ideas can lead to the greatest results. Kaizen is the building block of all the lean production methodologies; it is the foundation upon which all these methods have been built.

Kaizen activities are focused on each process and every operation in order to add value and eliminate waste. By adding value we refer to what it is done to a product or service to satisfy the need, requirement or desire or a customer. This may include, quality, usefulness, functionality, availability, price, beauty, etc. By waste we refer to any operation that adds cost or time but does not add value.

As individuals, the benefits of this continuous improvement process can be observed in the elimination of wasted motion and delays at work so that we can do what we do best with ease and without annoying interruptions. Making use of methods to help us think about what we can do and contributing ideas that benefit the whole company.