ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews how continuous improvement typically starts within an organisation. Value stream mapping is a well-known multidisciplinary diagnostic approach for identifying the ‘current state,' the non-value-adding waste within an organisation and a ‘future state.' ‘Problem definition' is also a key part of structured problem-solving techniques such as ‘Kaizen events'. Business analysis is a structured process to review the whole or part of an organisation's current situation, highlight the opportunities and arrive at a plan to realise those opportunities. Within the continuous improvement consulting world, it is often the first stage of engagement with a client where the analysis team is essentially ‘measuring up' for a larger project. ‘Gemba' is the Japanese word that means ‘actual place,' and the term is often used within continuous improvement to describe ‘where the real work takes place'. Depending on the objectives of the analysis, it may be useful to undertake a review of where the organisation is on the ‘lean spectrum'.
