Business Excellence Consortium

Kaizen Event Preparation and Facilitation

Learn how to conduct a Kaizen event

Kaizen Event Preparation and Facilitation is a one-day module that covers how to conduct a Kaizen event – from preparation for the event through follow-up on the improvement activities. Special consideration is given to the roles of Team Facilitator and Team Leader in the process. Facilitation skills are learned through group exercises.

Prerequisites: Lean Overview, 5S/Visual Management, Process Flow, Pull Systems, Setup Reduction, TPM, Problem-Solving Tools, Error Proofing, and VSM

Topics include:

• Definition of Kaizen 
• What a Kaizen event will and will not accomplish
• Requirements for the Kaizen Event Facilitator and Team Leader
• Guidelines to set up and conduct a Kaizen event
• Tips to sustain the results of a Kaizen event
• Definition of the role of a Facilitator
• Best practices in facilitation, including managing group dynamics, reading nonverbal cues, and active listening
• Techniques for Prioritization of Ideas-Ranking/Voting
• Decision techniques
• Questioning techniques
• Meeting management
• Brainstorming techniques and methods of prioritization of brainstorming results

Upon completion, you will be able to:

• Understand how to select a work site for a Kaizen event
• Understand how to set goals for the event
• Understand who should be selected for the Kaizen team and why
• Prepare the facility and work site for the event
• Facilitate Kaizen events and other meetings successfully