Issue link: https://industrialengineer.epubxp.com/i/777540
38 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine Adding kaizen to your kanban In most companies, the day-to-day priorities of keeping production lines running, meeting shipment commit- ments and interfacing with suppliers and customers are urgent matters that need to be dealt with immediately. Industrial engineers have a wealth of knowledge and a plethora of tools that can be used to streamline and im- prove processes. They should be change agents, but unfortu- nately much of their time is spent doing routine work and "fighting fires." Nearly 20 years in the industry has revealed that many or- ganizations struggle with identifying issues that need to be ad- dressed through improvement projects. They often want to improve their operations, but they don't know where to start. This is somewhat surprising given the overabundance of prob- lems that many organizations face; yet it is likely that the sheer number of problems is what makes it hard for organizations to prioritize and select the ones most in need of attention. The approach described in this article, kaizen kanban, pro- vides unique solutions to this problem. It complements and enhances the effectiveness of quality and continuous improve- ment initiatives that may already be in place in an organization by helping them identify opportunities for improvement in an efficient and value-added way. Kaizen kanban is an innovative adaptation of traditional quality tools and methods. For example, concepts derived from SIPOC (suppliers, inputs, process, outputs, customers) diagrams and FMEA (failure mode and effects analysis) are integrated within process mapping activities, which signifi- cantly increases the depth of analysis within the process being examined. Then, logical and well-known approaches are employed to prioritize the opportunities for improvement that have been identified and categorize them within the appropriate type of kaizen event. This approach provides an effective method for coordinating project selection that efficiently feeds the deploy- ment of improvement projects across an organization using a visual communication approach. What is kaizen kanban? The Japanese word kaizen is commonly used to describe a team approach to break apart a process quickly and rebuild it in order to function better. It is a philosophy that advocates continual process improvement. Kanban is the Japanese word for "signboard" or "billboard." Traditionally, kanban cards are used to signal to workers what to build next or what parts to retrieve. Like traditional kanbans, kaizen kanbans, or improvement display boards, are visual communication tools and should be made visible to all levels of employees within the organiza- tion. The difference is that instead of telling operators what to build next or what parts to retrieve, the cards tell improvement teams what preapproved projects are most relevant to current business needs and are next in line for implementation. When most people start their careers as industrial and sys- tems engineers, they dream of making an impact, of working on major projects that change the course of companies and elevate organizations to the next levels of safety, quality and profitability. But things usually don't work out exactly as planned. Most ISEs and their peers do get involved in change management, but they become firefighters. They develop skills that allow them to react quickly and address the burning issues of the day. Many of them enjoy being a superhero and saving prod- ucts, processes and people. Being a firefighter can be fun. It can bring instant gratification and give you incredible stories that you can use to impress family, co-workers and potential next bosses. But after being involved with change for years, some ISEs are lucky enough to have their responsibilities change. They become less about reacting to crises and more about being proactive and strategic in nature. Numerous well-branded or- ganizations invest large amounts of time and money in train- ing initiatives to equip employees with the tools necessary to become effective change agents. Most of these organizations tended to favor mainstream methodologies such as lean, Six Sigma and project manage- ment, which complement and reinforce classroom learning by requiring all participants to apply their newly acquired skills to actual projects. But doing is learning, and completing projects is fundamen- tal in developing a student's ability to understand and apply lean, Six Sigma and continuous improvement methodologies. Many participants in these programs struggle to complete their first project, just as I did, and often for the same reasons. I will illustrate with examples from my own journey. I was first exposed to Six Sigma in 2001 in a mandatory in- troductory course offered by my employer. Three days before the start of class, I was asked to identify and charter two proj- ects as part of my green belt certification pre-work. I had no idea what a project charter was, and I arrived at the class emp- ty-handed, fearing I was in trouble and feeling inadequate. A few years later I accepted a position at another company and found myself in a similar situation. Two weeks before my start date, while on the road moving cross-country, I received an email informing me that I had been registered for a black belt course and that I was expected to have two black belt projects chartered within a week. How could the company expect me to identify opportuni- ties for improvement if I had never set foot in the plant? Since then I have witnessed countless organizations that had the same expectations of employees who were about to start their training. Invariably these candidates felt set up for failure and often arrived in class with a high level of anxiety and even resentment. I