Continuous small improvement. Improve process with small tests, real observation, and measurement.
When to Use
- Process slow, costly, or inconsistent
- Recurring defects or complaints
- Bottlenecks, waits, handoffs, or rework
- Team wants practical continuous improvement
- Before buying tools or adding headcount
- Short improvement workshop needed
Goal
Improve one process. Prove impact with before/after measures. Standardize the win.
Rules
- Go to Gemba: observe real work.
- Blame process, not people.
- Involve daily workers.
- Fix one problem at a time.
- Prefer small tests over big redesigns.
- Measure baseline and result.
- Standardize successful changes.
Waste
Use TIMWOOD:
- Transport
- Inventory
- Motion
- Waiting
- Overproduction
- Overprocessing
- Defects
Flow
- Define measurable problem.
- Observe real workflow.
- Map steps, handoffs, waits, and rework.
- Identify waste.
- Pick highest-impact small change.
- Run PDCA: Plan, Do, Check, Act.
- Document new baseline.
Output
## Kaizen Analysis
Process: [name]
Problem: [measurable problem]
Customer value: [what matters]
Current state:
- [metric]: [baseline]
Gemba findings:
- [observation]
- [waste]
Root causes:
- [cause]
Improvement test:
- Change: [small change]
- Owner: [name]
- Due: [date]
- Expected result: [target metric]
PDCA result:
- Before: [baseline]
- After: [result]
- Decision: [standardize / revise / stop]