ABSTRACT
Kaizen events should be thought of as short-duration improvement projects. On the manufacturing floor, Kaizen events can often happen in real time. Historically, Kaizen events were performed at the C-suite level, but it is not uncommon for Kaizen events to be conducted at mid-management or supervisory level. The Kaizen event is basically a quality circle with cross functional members who have a stake in the process improvement being considered. Kaizen has five foundational elements: teamwork, personal discipline, improved morale, quality circles, and suggestions for improvement. Plan–do–check–act or plan–do–check–adjust is an iterative four-step management method used in business for the control and continuous improvement of processes and products. The Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control improvement cycle is the core tool used to drive Six Sigma projects. The term comes from Gemba Kaizen, meaning continuous improvement.
