When was the last time you made a change in an operation that boosted productivity dramatically - in just a matter of days?
A growing number of manufacturers are doing just that - and driving their Lean transformation - by using a highly focused "kaizen blitz."
Kaizen (rhymes with 'dry pen') is a Japanese term meaning "to change for the better." Traditionally, kaizen has meant making small, incremental improvements over a long period of time.
A "blitz" is an intense and lightning-quick version of the kaizen process used to implement a variety of Lean techniques - in a hurry - usually three to eight days in length. It is also sometimes called a Kaizen Event.
It's easy to understand why Lean manufacturers are embracing the kaizen blitz. Improvement in a Lean organization must be an ongoing process and the structure of a kaizen blitz is one of the surest ways to augment continual change, increase efficiency and generate savings.
"I see more companies using kaizen blitzes. It's a good way to get people off the ground, win a quick success and institute a philosophy change," said Mark Minter, regional director of MAMTC's Overland Park office.
Breaking the speed barrier
In a traditional manufacturing setting, it could take weeks - even months - to identify a problem, propose a change to management, get their approval and get employees to change old habits.
A kaizen blitz shifts the change process into high gear. "People working in a Lean Enterprise often need to change their mindset. They need to be always thinking about what they can do today, right now, to make things better. Most important, they need to believe that is possible. A Kaizen Event makes them believers," Cynthia Christie, project director/field engineer in MAMTC's Colorado office, said.
Unless you've seen a kaizen blitz in action, it's hard to understand just how flexible and effective it can be. "Kaizen blitz is, no doubt, a powerful tool. It has a great effect on people buying into the benefits of structured problem-solving and being methodical," Christie said.
"I've seen blitzes work on set-up reduction, work place organization, point of storage, pull systems and cell design," Minter said. Some operations see improvements of as much as 80-100% or more, quickly and without major capital investments.
It works virtually in any company - the size of the organization is less of an issue than its attitude. "It works in companies that are progressive - no matter what their size. Folks who are out there in front. Leading companies that know they must change to keep their market share. Other manufacturers may take a wait-and-see attitude. If their competition is doing it, they will too," he said.
Learning the right - and wrong - way to blitz
Conducting a kaizen blitz is not as easy as it looks, according to Christie. There are many ways to do them incorrectly. Manufacturers are advised to understand why and how the process works before attempting it.
A skilled facilitator can help. "You can't just read a book, decide to do a blitz and expect it to be successful," Christie said. "It's very important you get help from a pro - someone who knows how to facilitate the HR side as well as the process itself. A failed blitz can really demoralize employees. After participating in a few, and shadowing an experienced facilitator, an internal person can usually lead them."
A kaizen blitz starts with a specific problem to solve - or at least the feeling that there is a problem to solve. Sometimes a company or a consultant 'just knows' but often the focus area is best defined through a value stream mapping process.
Any process might be a target for a kaizen blitz, but it's best to start with one having great customer impact or on an area that has frustrated workers. "Although rewarding, it is a tough and grueling process. Teams are usually motivated to devote the effort by feeling a painful need to change," Christie said.
Once an area for improvement is targeted, upper management - often with the help of an outside consultant - initiates the blitz. They give the kaizen team a mandate to change a process or create a new one and trial it, along with the power to make any necessary decisions along the way.
"Clearly, good planning should precede such an undertaking and selecting the right team is essential to the success the blitz," Christie said. "The people part of it is quite important. The right people need to be put on the right team."
Depending on the scope, a cross-functional team with 5-10 representatives is ideal. Team members should include engineers, maintenance workers, production operators and office workers - the people who are closest to the work and live the process, day in and day out.
In a shop floor event, it's just as important to include people who don't work on the shop floor - like representatives from finance, design engineering, marketing and other areas in the company and vice versa. Outside eyes can more easily question existing methods and provide a fresh and objective view.
The great equalizer
Everyone in the organization rolls up his or her sleeves and works together to solve a problem - employees, managers and even top executives. That's the beauty of a kaizen event.
While management should get involved and learn the new process, Christie advises them to stay out of the first few blitzes. "Employees may not feel free to experiment with their boss around. After a couple of events, senior management should serve on at least one kaizen event team. It is great to see an operator teaching the VP of manufacturing the kaizen process. Having a leader participate in that capacity sends a powerful message," said Christie.
The blitz can backfire if you don't have a true champion to keep the momentum going. That's why management needs to get involved eventually. "It's particularly good when managers are team members. They can say 'yes' and 'good job' and 'keep it up.' Morale picks up," Minter said.
After the team is selected, its first task is to conduct a quick, initial analysis of the process. This involves identifying the blitz product line or area, sometimes videotaping the process for later use in brainstorming, and defining the goal.
The goal must be small, specific and achievable. "If the scope is too big, it won't be possible to change," said Christie.
The kaizen blitz itself usually takes 5-8 days. Activities during this period include training, process analysis and baseline measurement, brainstorming, development and implementation of a new plan, trial runs and adjustments, and a presentation of results to management.
The process of defining the current state can be overwhelming for a team. "The team collects data on the way the process works now. All the ugly, nasty, minute steps down to the tiniest details. When they take the process apart, they are likely to feel defeated and think 'No way can we fix that,'" Christie said.
This period of disenchantment is predictable and can be overcome with the help of a trained consultant or expert facilitator. "You need an expert to help the team work through these feelings, make sure things click into place and to pay attention to the kaizen process. Inevitably, teams start to get excited again once they try the new process they've designed and begin to see measurable changes," continued Christie.
The power to change
"When the blitz starts, there is a lot skepticism. As we get into it, employees see their ideas come to life. They start to realize they do have the power to change things," Minter said.
"On the last day of the blitz, the team makes a few more adjustments to the process, collects more data and then puts it all into a presentation. Each team member then presents a piece of the presentation to management," Christie said.
This presentation is what really solidifies the team. "You can feel the morale of the team rise. They're proud of how they got through this, learned a new process and made improvements," Christie said.
Kaizen blitz is a tool Lean manufacturers can use over and over again, but it should never be used as the only vehicle for continuous improvement. It is also possible to blitz too frequently. "In big organizations, several teams can be blitzing at the same time, every week or so. But the most small organizations can absorb is about one blitz a month. That gives the process time to stabilize before the next event," Christie said.
10 do's and don'ts for kaizen blitz success
- Do limit the scope of the blitz.
- Don't choose an unstable process.
- Do get expert help for at least the first few events.
- Do make sure most of the team consists of employees who do the work.
- Do give the team freedom to make mistakes.
- Don't allow management to take over.
- Don't reinvent the process - use what works.
- Do train team members.
- Don't limit blitzes to the shop floor - they work equally as well in the front office.
- Don't use the Kaizen Blitz format as the only means of continuous improvement.
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