The Keys to a Successful Kaizen

1
The Keys to a Successful Kaizen

• Mike Ferraris
• ASQ / DoN Lean Six Sigma Black Belt

2
Who Am I?

• Personal Background
• Electrical Engineer at Naval Undersea Warfare
  Center, Newport RI since 1995
• Design, Test, Integration Lead for Heavyweight
  Torpedoes
• Lead Guidance and Control Trainer
• Continuous Process Improvement Coordinator
• Torpedo Systems Department
• Electromagnetic Systems Department
• ASQ / DON Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt for
  the NAVSEA Warfare Center Corporate Business
  Executive Office

3
Goals

• After completion of this workshop, participants
  will
• Know the roles and responsibilities required
  before, during, and after a Kaizen
• Learn a process and schedule to use when
  preparing for a Kaizen
• Identify key components to a Kaizen charter
• Gain familiarity with tools that can be applied
  during the event
• Learn strategies to aid in follow-up

4
Introduction / Overview

• Slides designed as handouts / reference material
• Workshop will be informal
• Specific examples discussed
• Questions always welcome

5
Keys For A Successful Kaizen

• Clear definition of the problem
• Well-defined goals
• Clear project boundaries
• Clear statement of requirements and expectations
  for everyone
• Assigned responsibilities
• Realistic timeframes for completion
• Well-defined, written charter

6
Key Roles Responsibilities

• Project Sponsor / Champion
• Owns the process
• Ability to break down barriers the team may face
• Team Lead
• Will be responsible throughout the life-cycle of
  the Kaizen
• This includes tracking follow-on actions
• Team Members
• Subject Matter Experts and Outsiders
• Will have prep-work and may have follow-up
  actions
• Facilitator(s)
• Responsibilities include helping prepare the
  team, facilitating the event, and aiding, where
  feasible, with follow-up
• Black Belt
• Green Belt

7
Kaizen Preparations

• Charter
• Team Meetings
• SIPOC
• Data Collection

Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance
8
Four Weeks Prior

• Select the target area
• Look at outputs from other events (VSAs)
• Determine the focus
• Helps you determine which CPI tools may be most
  helpful
• Select the Team Leader and Facilitators (Black
  Belt and Green Belt)
• Hold Planning meeting with Sponsor, Team Lead and
  Facilitators
• Draft Charter
• Identify Team Members
• Obtain Sponsor Endorsement

Ensure Event is Relevant to Strategic Goals
9
Charter

• Must Haves
• Event Title
• Dates
• Sponsor, Team Lead, Team Members, Facilitators
• By name!!
• Problem Statement
• Event Objectives
• Scope / Boundaries
• Constraints

10
Three Weeks Prior

• Identify location
• On-site vs. Off-site decision
• Finalize Charter
• Clear participants calendars for the Kaizen
• Announce Kaizen
• Develop and Implement Data Collection Plan
• Hold Initial Team meeting
• Arrange and Provide team training

11
Preparing the Team

• Interview the team members
• Conduct a Gap Analysis
• Prepare training material
• Should cover CPI as well as specifics related to
  the Kaizen topic
• Train the team

Set a Solid Foundation
12
Questions to Consider

• Who is your target audience?
• What training methods will be effective?
• What are your CPI cultural barriers?
• Where should the training be held and when?
• What training materials are needed?

13
Conducting a Gap Analysis

• Determine what they do know
• Process level knowledge
• Who are the SMEs and who are the outsiders?
• Level of CPI knowledge
• Previous CPI team experience
• Prior team experience
• Determine what they need to know
• Identify the knowledge gaps

14
Team Training
Basic (initial)
Just-in-Time

• Before the event
• Provides a foundation to the event
• No more than 2 hours

• During event
• Tool-driven apply as needed

15
SIPOC

• Why do you use it?
• How does it help?

16
Why use a SIPOC?

• A process is any activity that takes inputs,
  performs actions on the inputs, and results in
  outputs
• A SIPOC defines the inputs the process receives
  and the outputs that a process delivers

INPUTS
OUTPUTS
PROCESS
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Definition of SIPOC

• Suppliers the internal / external people or
  organizations that provide materials,
  information, or other resources for a process
• Inputs the resources that are supplied
• Process the series of work steps that transform
  inputs to outputs
• Outputs the product, service, or information
  that is delivered to the customer
• Customers the people, organizations, or process
  that receive the output
• You can have both External and Internal
  Customers.

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Walking the Process

• Pretend to be the product and data as they move
  from beginning to end
• Be "the thing"
• Talk to all employees involved
• Record observations about the process
• Do not judge or make conclusions
• Take your time observe 24/7
• Document everything!
• What the product experiences
• What people are doing
• What the machines are doing
• Waste and variation
• Apparent constraints

19
Example Questions to Ask

• Sponsors and Supervisors
• What are the keys to your success?
• What are your organizations goals?
• What is great performance for you?
• What measures are used?
• What is your organization structure?
• Who are your customers?
• What makes your product or process unique?
• What are some future opportunities?
• What are the critical issues?
• What problems do you foresee?
• How can we help you?

20
More Questions to Ask

• All Employees
• How do you determine what to work on next?
• Where does your work come from?
• How do you know what to do on your task?
• How do you determine your priorities?
• Where does your work go next?
• What is great performance for you?
• What is your greatest challenge?
• How do you know the criticality of your task?
• What are your goals?
• What measures do you use? What is your cycle
  time? Quality? Affordability?
• How can we help you?

21
Two Weeks Prior

• Schedule Sponsor attendance at Kaizen
• Arrange for any required external support
• For example, IT resources
• Publish Charter
• Obtain supplies and materials
• Verify that data collection is on schedule
• Identify top improvement metrics
• Establish improvement targets on top metrics
• Be aggressive
• Confirm all participants are still available for
  entire Kaizen
• Solicit Customer Input

Verify All is Ready to Go
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One Week Prior

• Finalize Kaizen Daily schedule
• Prepare facilities
• Review

Address the Inevitable Last Minute Issues
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Barriers to Success

• Scope or team is too small / large
• Solution in mind
• Unavailable resources
• Politics
• Wrong people
• Unclear event objectives
• Conflict
• Insufficient resources
• Uninvolved Leadership
• Shifting goals and priorities
• Declaring victory too early
• Monument barrier that cant be moved

24
Kaizen Execution

• Facilitating the Event
• Useful Tools
• Documenting Results
• Capturing Follow-up Actions
• Outbrief the Sponsor

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Facilitation . . .

• IS
• Asking questions to get team to make decisions
• Asking for ideas about how to accomplish task
• Observing and giving feedback
• Ensuring everyones input

• IS NOT
• Telling them what to do
• Advocating your view on how to accomplish task
• Doing the task
• Letting 1 or 2 voices dominate discussion

26
Managing vs. Facilitating
Managing (Team Lead)
Facilitating (Black / Green Belt)
27
More Facilitation Tips

• Conduct / Facilitate
• Develop ground rules
• Assign roles (i.e. scribe, timekeeper)
• Reiterate / clarify purpose of event
• Ensure group maintains focus
• At the conclusion of the event, review outcomes
  and get consensus
• Record action items

28
Non-Verbal Communication

• Its important to be mindful of your body
  language (non-verbal communication) for the
  impact it has on the team.
• The team members will tend to read your body
  language, interpret it, and react to it.

• Eye contact (positive interest)
• Smiling (encouragement)
• Leaning forward (positive interest)
• Nodding yes (Agreement)

Positive cues

• Evasive glances (discomfort)
• Slouching (disinterest)
• Shaking head no (disagreement)

Negative cues
29
CPI Tools

• Select the appropriate tools
• If you want to
• Look at a process
• Value Stream Maps, Reality Trees, Circle
  Diagrams, Spaghetti Charts
• Determine Root Causes
• Brainstorming, Fishbone Diagrams, The Five Why
  Method, Reality Trees, Root-Cause Analysis
• Analyze Data
• Check Sheet, Histogram, Pareto Chart, Control
  Chart, Scatter Diagram
• Address Variation
• Six Sigma Tools Z-Scores, Spread, Shape, Types
  of Variation (Common or Special Cause), Standard
  Deviations, Control Charts, Control Limits

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Circle Diagram (Information Flow, Handoffs)
Current State
Step 1 Place transactional elements/resources
around the circle Step 2 Map a typical
transaction. Assign someone to count each line
as you draw it. (Flow and Touch time is derived
from the Value Stream Map.) Step 3 Rework
(churning) can be reflected with red lines.
A
Handoffs 47 Flow Clock Time 486 hrs Manual
Touch Time 108 hrs
31
Circle Diagram (Information Flow, Handoffs)
Current State
Future State
A
A
B
C
E
G
H
Handoffs 47 Flow Clock Time 486 hrs Manual
Touch Time 108 hrs
Handoffs 10 Flow Clock Time 90 hrs Manual
Touch Time 58 hrs
32
Before/After Spaghetti Diagram
BEFORE
AFTER
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Brainstorming

• Develops highly creative solutions to a problem
• Invites the experience of the group into play
• Unlocks innovation
• Brings team members together

• An effective brainstorming session

34
Root Cause Illustration
35
Root Cause Illustration
36
Root Cause Illustration
37
Document the Results

• Must include
• Copy of Final Charter
• Tools utilized
• Improvements made
• Evidence of data driven decision making
• Before / After process flows and metrics
• ROI calculations
• Other improvement opportunities

Create Packages That Sum Up Everything for
Management Workforce
38
Capture Follow-up Actions

• Must record the following DURING THE KAIZEN!
• Issue to be resolved
• Proposed action to resolve the issue
• POC who is responsible for action
• Date that it is assigned AND COMMUNICATED to the
  individual
• Estimated completion date
• Provided by actionee
• Impact to results of Kaizen effort if it is not
  completed

39
Outbriefs

• Daily briefs to Sponsor
• Conducted at Kaizen location by team
• Ensure that team remains on track
• Give Sponsor insight into daily activities
• Final Brief at end of Kaizen
• Invite Sponsor along with other interested
  parties
• Customers, managers, anyone who has an action who
  was not on the team, etc.
• We came, we saw, we conquered
• Review list of open actions for Sponsor approval
• Schedule first follow-up meeting with Sponsor

40
Event Follow-up

• Follow-on Meetings
• Schedule regular follow-up meetings with the Team
• Keep the momentum going
• Track Progress
• 30, 60, 90 day follow-up meetings with the
  Sponsor
• Provide information about issues requiring
  Sponsor involvement / barrier removal
• Track the Follow-Up actions
• Send reminders
• Update team with status

41
Event Follow-up

• Celebrate Success
• Publish articles in newsletters
• Reward team members
• Post pictures on bulletin boards
• Monitor Results
• Use Visual Controls
• Metrics tracking charts
• Production boards
• Pictures
• Document Lessons Learned

42
Summary

• We have covered
• Key roles and responsibilities required before,
  during, and after a Kaizen
• Suggested schedule to use when preparing for a
  Kaizen
• Key components to a Kaizen charter
• Examples of tools that can be applied during the
  event
• Strategies to aid in follow-up

43
Questions?