One of the keys to keeping your Lean systems running smoothly is to be continually investing in your workforce by means of:

• Ongoing training courses: Uttana has a full list of training courses that can supplement and reinforce the training your staff has already had.

• Introducing new Lean Initiatives:No matter how long you’ve been doing Lean, there are always places that it can be applied to improve productivity. Check out Uttana for resources on intermediate and advanced Lean techniques

• Kaizen Events and Workshops: Sponsoring these events can help you keep the Lean momentum going.

Kaizen Events:

Of all the motivational techniques you can use, Kaizen Events and Workshops are perhaps the most useful for reinforcing the principles of Lean for both management and the workforce. Uttana has a series of Kaizen Management Coordination Online Courses that will help you prepare for these events in order to get the maximum benefit of each one.

Why have Kaizen Events?

Like anything in life, the lessons learned in the Lean implementation will, after a while, begin to slip away, and are often replaced by the attitudes and behaviors that you turned to Lean to combat in the first place. This is just a part of human nature. Without regular reinforcement, old habits will replace new ones and ground gained will be lost.

The Kaizen Event:

A Kaizen Event involves both management and the workforce and should be held at least once per year. The goals of a Kaizen event are primarily:

• To present to the workforce the results of the last big Lean initiative and get feedback.
• To present to the workforce the next proposed Lean initiative and help them understand the needs and benefits behind it.
• To address any deficiencies in Lean skills and concepts.
• To solicit ideas and suggestions from the workforce for ways that Lean could be used in the future to improve productivity.

Each Kaizen event is overseen by the Lean Committee, a group whose job it is to:

• Evaluate the results of the previous Kaizen event or Lean initiative.
• Select the best areas to address with the next Kaizen event.
• Once the target is approved, to design and execute a Kaizen event that will help usher in the appropriate changes.

Kaizen Workshops:

A Kaizen workshop is similar in principle to a Kaizen event but on a smaller scale. And while it can be used to introduce smaller changes in procedures and methods and get ideas for improving the system, it is most often used to:

• Improve workforce moral.
• Address concerns and complaints in an informal setting.
• Provide opportunities to learn new Lean skills and re-in force old ones.
• To introduce new standard work procedures based on previous Lean changes.

Standard work is a Lean method that details each process performed in your operation. It is essential for a well-functioning Lean system that can grow and evolve as changes are made. Uttana has a Standard kaizen Work Courses as well which can be used to enhance the effectiveness of Kaizen events.

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