by Ted Eytan, on 16 Jun 2006 08:20 am
The Journey
define:Kaizen
Continuous incremental improvement of an activity to eliminate waste
I actually don’t have this definition in my head. I have to refresh my memory once in a while to match it to the greatness that a Kaizen is.
I just participated in one this week on the process of durable medical equipment procurement for our patients. The end product was exactly what a kaizen should produce: incremental improvement. It did not shift techtonic plates, it did not solve every issue, but it cleared a path, and left me, on Thursday, seeing the next step. The step I have in my hand now is a way to use our electronic systems to support physicians in ordering the right equipment the right way each time, saving our patients’ time and money.
That’s Kaizen!