Comments on: Does Activity = Progress? http://www.dailykaizen.org/archives/95 A blog about improvement in health care Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:06:02 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Mark Graban http://www.dailykaizen.org/archives/95/comment-page-1#comment-24 Mark Graban Thu, 06 Jul 2006 15:21:35 +0000 http://www.dailykaizen.org/archives/95#comment-24 You're absolutely correct that activity does not equal progress. I've seen (back in the factory world) many kaizen events that were selected because they were easy or could be completed in a week rather than being problems that really impacted the customer, the employees, or the finances of the organization. I've seen kaizen activities get very bureaucratic, focusing on the administration of kaizens, rather than focusing on lean. Some problems are truely complex (such as a laboratory layout) and can't be solved in just one week. A kaizen event often times sets up an artificial time limit and you end up cutting corners to "get done" rather than getting it done right. You also have to make sure that kaizen events are done with good solid lean principles in mind. If the kaizen "solutions" include more batching, for example, that's headed in the completely wrong direction. You have to engage people, but if their ideas run counter to lean, as the consultant you have to teach them the lean principles and steer them in that direction. Some in the auto industry thought you could "kaizen your way to lean." Not so. Kaizen is just one tool in the lean world. Once you kaizen bliz an area, how do you keep continuously improving (true kaizen)? How do you manage things and manage people in a true lean/TPS manner? Kaizen events won't teach managers how to manage lean and to develop their people on a daily basis. You’re absolutely correct that activity does not equal progress. I’ve seen (back in the factory world) many kaizen events that were selected because they were easy or could be completed in a week rather than being problems that really impacted the customer, the employees, or the finances of the organization. I’ve seen kaizen activities get very bureaucratic, focusing on the administration of kaizens, rather than focusing on lean. Some problems are truely complex (such as a laboratory layout) and can’t be solved in just one week. A kaizen event often times sets up an artificial time limit and you end up cutting corners to “get done” rather than getting it done right.

You also have to make sure that kaizen events are done with good solid lean principles in mind. If the kaizen “solutions” include more batching, for example, that’s headed in the completely wrong direction. You have to engage people, but if their ideas run counter to lean, as the consultant you have to teach them the lean principles and steer them in that direction.

Some in the auto industry thought you could “kaizen your way to lean.” Not so. Kaizen is just one tool in the lean world. Once you kaizen bliz an area, how do you keep continuously improving (true kaizen)? How do you manage things and manage people in a true lean/TPS manner? Kaizen events won’t teach managers how to manage lean and to develop their people on a daily basis.

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