Kaizen Principle: The Pursuit of Improvement
The word Kaizen, originating from Japanese, is composed of the terms "kai" (change, transformation) and "zen" (for the better), and refers to a method of continuous improvement of activities, workflows, procedures, or products by all employees of a company. The Kaizen principle can therefore be associated with lean management.
Difference between the Kaizen principle and BPR
Compared to Business Process Reengineering (BPR), which aims to implement radical changes in a short time, the Kaizen principle describes continuous improvement in small steps with the involvement of all employees. By contrast, the Kaizen principle focuses on continuous quality improvement and cost reduction and is therefore regarded as an integral part of quality management.
What goals can be achieved with the Kaizen principle?
All measures under the Kaizen principle are essentially aimed at increasing customer satisfaction. This is to be achieved through three factors:
- Cost reduction,
- Quality assurance,
- Speed (time efficiency)
It is important that all employees and departments are involved. Only then can improvements, in line with the Kaizen principle, be effective across all levels.
The 5 Pillars of the Kaizen Principle
The Kaizen principle is based on these five fundamental principles that continuous improvement process Initiate (KVP).
Process orientation
Instead of focusing only on the outcome, the Kaizen principle centers on the entire process. This is documented and analyzed to continuously optimize the process standard and ultimately maximize profit.
Customer focus
The Kaizen principle distinguishes between external and internal customers. Internal customers include, for example, other departments involved in producing the product. If, for instance, defects are identified during downstream processing, this is communicated back to prevent subsequent errors. To maximize customer satisfaction, transparent and seamless communication at these interfaces is essential.
Quality focus
Quality assurance and improvement are of great importance in the Kaizen principle. Sophisticated measurement methods, continuous monitoring, and defined metrics are intended to keep quality consistently high.
Critical orientation
With the Kaizen principle, criticism is explicitly welcome! Such feedback supports continuous improvement. Every employee may—and should—submit suggestions, which management will take on board constructively and act on accordingly.
Standardization
Improvements that have been implemented and proven effective are introduced as the standard. Only after such a standard has been established will a further improvement be pursued.
Which methods is the Kaizen principle based on?
We provide an overview of the most important methods within the Kaizen principle:
5S
5S is a method from Lean management and a foundational method within the Kaizen philosophy. 5S consists of these five sequential steps that build on one another:
- Sorting (Seiri)
- Systematize (Seiton)
- Clean (Seiso)
- Standardize (Seiketsu)
- Self-discipline (Shitsuke)
We explain more about this in our article "The 5S Method".
The 7 Wastes
The 7 Muda identify seven types of waste that are considered typical sources of loss. These are, in detail:
- Waste from overproduction
- Muda due to waiting time
- Waste from unnecessary transportation
- Muda from producing defective parts
- Waste due to excessive inventory
- Waste from unnecessary motion
- Waste due to an unfavorable manufacturing process
You can find more information in our article “The Seven Muda”.
The 7M Checklist
The 7M checklist includes the most important factors that must be reviewed regularly:
- Human
- Machine
- Material
- Method
- Milieu/Environment
- Management
- Measurability
