Detailed Agenda(s) for Kaizen or Work-Outs

Detailed Agenda(s) for Kaizen or Work-Outs

Kaizen events or Work-Outs are one to five-day rapid improvement events widely used in the deployment of Lean and Operational Excellence. I am a huge fan of Work-Outs, which were so named because the focus was on getting the (unnecessary) work out of the system. These events were NOT just brainstorming sessions, but were well-planned and highly structured events that had:

A well-defined process and set of expectations going in

Sufficient time and freedom from distraction so participants could focus on the issues being discussed

Participation by key stakeholders all the way from line workers to senior management

Clearly defined requirements for decision and action

The second component of your Course Project is to construct a detailed agenda for such an event. The agenda must demonstrate how you will: get input from key stakeholders involved with the selected process; use the correct Lean tools and conclude the event with actionable improvement outcomes.

Instructions

Use your work from Part A of the Project to identify improvement opportunities in the value stream that are suitable for Kaizen events or Work-Outs.

1)   List the potential Kaizen events, select the one to be deployed and justify your selection. Then, define the

Kaizen objective and scope for the selected event.

2)   Develop a detailed agenda for each Kaizen event.  Use a tabular format, showing:

Day and times

Session topics

Lean tools to be used

Deliverables or outputs

Rationale

Day    Time      Session Topic/Objective     Lean Tools        Output/Deliverables    Rationale

3)  Explain your choice for number of days, sequence for session topics, and justify the Lean tools to be used and  outputs from each session. Show how your Kaizen agenda supports the Kaizen objective and scope for the event.  This discussion should be specific to your value stream and organization

Submission Requirements

Your work is to be submitted in Word.  Total length should be 3 to 4 pages, including the actual agenda. You are free to organize your submission in whatever way you feel best presents the material and makes it easy to understand. Typically, this will mean presenting each day’s tabular agenda and then providing supporting pages with additional explanations.

As guidance, design this as a document you would share with your team and/or with your supervisor. It should be detailed enough to clearly explain how the event will be structured and why, but concise enough that it will actually get read.

Note: A generic agenda for a Kaizen event or a generic Lean discussion is not acceptable