The Kaizen Event Planner ─ Achieving Rapid Improvement in Office, Service and Technical Environments

Kaizen Events are an effective way to train organizations to break unproductive habits and adopt a continuous improvement philosophy while, at the same time, achieve breakthrough performance-level results. Through Kaizen Events, cross-functional teams learn how to make improvements in a methodological way. They learn how to quickly study a process, identify and prioritize improvement opportunities, implement change, and sustain their gains. Most importantly, they learn how to work with one another to solve problems rapidly and in a highly effective way.

In The Kaizen Event Planner: Achieving Rapid Improvement in Office, Service, and Technical Environments, authors Karen Martin and Mike Osterling provide a practical how-to guide for planning and executing Kaizen Events in non-manufacturing settings, and conducting post-Event follow-ups to sustain the improvements made.

Geared to continuous improvement professionals and leaders within the office areas of manufacturing, the service sector and knowledge-worker environments, this book provides the methodology and practical tools for generating measurable results, while building a motivated workforce and laying the foundation for continuous improvement.




The Kaizen Event Planner provides those responsible for improving office, service, and technical processes with the skills to effectively scope the activity, engage the right people, and facilitate successful Events!
An accompanying CD provides immediate access to a number of Excel-based tools.

Karen Martin is Principal Consultant for Karen Martin & Associates, which specializes in applying Lean principles and tools in office, service, and technical environments. She has provided Lean implementation support to organizations in a broad range of industries, including: construction, distribution, education, engineering design, financial services, government/military, healthcare, information technology, insurance, manufacturing, oil and gas production, and publishing.

Mike Osterling is President of Osterling Consulting, Inc., a firm that leads organizations on their Lean journey. He has played a pivotal role in leading Lean transformations across a broad range of industries including aerospace, automotive, consumer goods, medical products, oil production, pharmaceuticals, and construction.

Acknowledgments Preface Introduction CD Instructions for Use Part I: Lean and Kaizen: An Overview Chapter 1: Lean Enterprise Principles Chapter 2: Kaizen Characteristics Part II: Kaizen Event Planning Chapter 3: Planning Essentials Chapter 4: Event Leadership Chapter 5: Scoping the Event Chapter 6: Kaizen Team Formation Chapter 7: Event Logistics Chapter 8: Pre-event Communication Chapter 9: Final Preparations Part III: Kaizen Event Execution Chapter 10: Event Structure Chapter 11: Event Kickoff Chapter 12: Documenting the Current State Chapter 13: Identifying Waste and Performing Root Cause Analysis Chapter 14: Brainstorming and Prioritizing Improvement Options Chapter 15: Designing and Testing Improvements Chapter 16: Implementing Improvements Chapter 17: Event Wrap-up Part IV: Beyond the Kaizen Event: Sustaining and Expanding Chapter 18: Follow-up Activities Chapter 19: Creating a Kaizen Culture Appendices Index About the Authors