Kaizen is based on the belief that everything can be improved and that nothing is status quo.
Kaizen involves identifying problems and opportunities, creating solutions and deploying them – and then re-analyzing and evaluating the entire process for other issues or issues that have not been addressed adequately.
The following seven steps create a cycle for continuous improvement and provide a systematic method for carrying out this process.
- Kaizen cycle for continuous improvement:
Involve stakeholders (for example employees) in the process. Seek the involvement of stakeholders, including collecting their help in identifying problems and problems. - Find problems:
Make use of broad feedback from all stakeholders and collect a list of problems and possible opportunities. Set priorities if there is a lot of feedback. - Make a solution:
Encourage stakeholders to offer creative solutions that encourage all kinds of ideas. Also define what is meant by success. - Test the solution:
Implement the winning solution chosen above with everyone participating in the rollout. Create pilot programs or take other small steps to test the solution. - Analyze the results:
Check the progress at different time intervals, with specific plans for whom the point of contact will be and how stakeholders can best be contacted. Determine how successful the change has been. - Standardize:
If the results are positive, adopt the solution throughout the organization. - Repeat:
These seven steps must be repeated continuously, testing new solutions where necessary or tackling new lists of problems.
