The One Crucial Thing Your Kaizen Events Are Probably Missing

The thing I want to convince you to try with your next Kaizen Event makes a lot of sense, so I find it pretty weird that more organizations aren’t using it. Kaizen Events are, after all, major undertakings that require the full attention of a dedicated team over a defined period. If you’re going to go to all that trouble to tackle a pressing or persistent problem, why not avail yourself of all the tools that can help assure success? Why not support this important improvement work in the same way that you support most other critical business processes? Why not use improvement software? Here’s how it can help before, during and after the Event.

Before

Before your Event planning even begins, improvement software serves as a repository for employee ideas for improvement. Opportunities can be submitted by anyone in the organization. Any supporting documents, images, or even videos can be attached so that supervisors have all of the information they need to decide which problems or processes should be the target of a Kaizen Event.  As the planning gets underway, the selected opportunity and all the necessary information can easily be shared with everyone who will be involved.

During

Kaizen Events usually involve several team members and often include people from different departments and roles. Kaizen software makes this cross-functional collaboration easy and it includes the necessary workflows with notifications and alerts to ensure that momentum is maintained. Each person can be assigned specific tasks during the event and all participants have access to the documents and details provided by everyone else. With Kaizen software, nothing slips through the cracks.

After

What happens after the Kaizen Event is arguably as, or even more, important as the event itself. Improvement software can help you assess the success of the Event and calculate the improvement’s long-term value to the organization. Additionally, having all of the details, including what worked well and what didn’t, documented and accessible will make your next Event even stronger. Finally, software with built-in recognition helps managers acknowledge and reward those who contribute to positive change, increasing engagement and contributing to the culture of improvement.

Kaizen Events are a very valuable tool for organizations looking to solve difficult problems or improve business outcomes. Improvement software helps organizations achieve effective, well-executed Events with lasting results. Learn more about continuous improvement software in this free eBook: