KAIZEN STARTERS16 little quests to help get us improving

Created by Tom Curtis 2011Blog: www.onimproving.blogspot.comPresentations: on www.slideshare.net/onimproving Email: ideamerchants@gmail.comTwitter: @onimproving

INTRODUCTION Kaizen Starters

We can all make improvement. Sometimes we see clearly

where we can get better and how to do it. At other times it is

not as clear or easy for us. This deck is for those times. What

follows is 16 quest cards called “Kaizen Starters”. Each card

has a keyword, a quest, and things we should look for. As we

use them, we will see Kaizen opportunities. Use these quests

to see things anew or to get unstuck, then adapt and add to

them to customize them for your personal or team use.

Let’s get kaizening. -Tom Curtis

ALIGN

build alignmentThe Quest:

What to look for:

steps that do not fit together,

differing priorities,

disconnections, conflicting

instructions

Kaizen Starters

AUDIT

check a process or activityThe Quest:

What to look for:

repeating processes,

activities to watch or walk,

steps to follow, “ways things

are done”, personal habits

Kaizen Starters

CLARIFY

make something more clearThe Quest:

What to look for:wordiness, confusion, poor

word choice, hard to follow

directions

Kaizen Starters

COMPLETE

complete an open actionThe Quest:

What to look for:items almost done,

abandoned projects, items

long on a to do list

Kaizen Starters

CORRECT

return activity or process to

its standardThe Quest:

What to look for:things broken, items unkept,

errors, mistakes

Kaizen Starters

CREATE

create, build, or designThe Quest:

What to look for:need for something new, a

missing step, a gap in the

current state

Kaizen Starters

DOCUMENT

create documentationThe Quest:

What to look for:undocumented activities,

opportunities to create a

standard

Kaizen Starters

DUPLICATE

replicate an idea, action, or

process from someplace elseThe Quest:

What to look for:good that can transfer,

situations you have solved

before, common issues

Kaizen Starters

LEARN

learn a better way or improve

skill or understandingThe Quest:

What to look for:

interests, skills to be

improved, activities we do

not understand, impending

change, new processes

Kaizen Starters

MAP

map a process or activityThe Quest:

What to look for:steps, hidden actions, inputs,

outputs, transitions, waste,

failure points, stress

Kaizen Starters

ORGANIZE

improve orderThe Quest:

What to look for:objects without a place, lack

of cleanliness, poor visual

appearance

Kaizen Starters

REMOVE

remove large or small

annoyancesThe Quest:

What to look for:what bugs you, issues that

repeat frequently, what you

or others do not like doing

Kaizen Starters

REORDER

change order of steps to find

possible synergy The Quest:

What to look for:poor step order, related

activities, proximity, similar

activities

Kaizen Starters

SIMPLIFY

remove unneeded

complexityThe Quest:

What to look for:extra motion, unneeded

steps, actions that are too

hard, wasteful repetition

Kaizen Starters

TEACH

teach someone how to do an

activity or processThe Quest:

What to look for:

items hard to explain,

opportunities to improve, a

chance to improve someones

skills or understanding

Kaizen Starters

WATCH

observe a processThe Quest:

What to look for:waste, unevenness, strain,

communication, things done

well, opportunities

Kaizen Starters