Kaizen events, also called rapid improvement events, or blitzes, are a useful way to implement positive change in short order. Still, it takes planning and preparation to make them as helpful as possible. We’ve heard dozens of horror stories about Kaizen events that went wrong. That’s not a shock because there are lots of ways that improvement events can go astray. The best way to avoid that fate is to put in the effort beforehand to make sure your event is a huge success. Here are our most important tips.

Choose the Right Target for Your Event

There are many improvement tools and techniques that all have a place, but not every problem is a good fit for every solution. Kaizen events are no exception. You only want to use them when the problem is limited in scope, and you have reason to believe that it can be addressed in three to five days. You also want to make sure that the problem is so pressing or the potential benefits of improvement is so great that it justifies the full-time attention of a small team for a few days.

Set clear and measurable goals

In order to know if your Kaizen event was a success, you must begin by defining precisely what success means in this situation. Detail exactly the measurable business metrics that your team will try to improve. Think broadly about the potential KPIs, including financial objectives, time-to-market, quality improvement, customer success, or other results that can be measured. As always, the SMART approach to goal setting is perfect. Each goal should be Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant, and Timely.

Secure Executive Support

Although Kaizen events don’t last very long, they require a significant investment of resources before, during, and after the event. That makes it critical to have buy-in and visible support from the senior management team. The best case is to have a specific executive sponsor who will champion the project and help eliminate any obstacles that pop up.

Select a Skilled Facilitator

Kaizen events are a collaborative endeavor, but it is still necessary for there to be someone responsible for leading the experience and reporting results. Some organizations hire professional facilitators, while others train employees to fill this role. In either case, the facilitator doesn’t have to be a subject matter expert regarding the process to be improved, but they do need to be skilled at project management, documentation, and whatever improvement technologies and tools will be used during and after the event.

Put Together a Strong Team

In addition to the facilitator, the Kaizen event should involve the people who regularly operate the process. It may also include people who are the internal customers of the process. Subject matter experts from another part of the organization can also be helpful.

Draft Roadmap

While adjustments to the schedule may have to be made as things unfold, it is a good idea to start with a plan for the order of operations during the event. For example, you’ll want to schedule some time to document and define the current state, to talk about potential solutions and decide on action steps. The plan should include time to implement the improvements, make adjustments as needed, and develop the standard work. You should also plan for training on the new standard, communicating the results and learnings from the event, and, of course, celebrating success.

Provide Training and Consistent Practice

Kaizen events are a beneficial technique for bringing new team members up to speed on your approach to improvement. They also help keep your more experienced team members in top shape. In fact, sometimes the best reason to do an improvement event is that you haven’t done one in a while. People will bet better at executing Kaizen events with more practice and coaching.

Put Your Improvement Management Software to Work

Kaizen events are rather complex, and success requires effective communication. Improvement management software gives your team one platform in which to store documents, manage the project, and document the impact of improvement. Most Kaizen events require cross-functional collaboration, which is much easier to achieve with a single source of truth.

Ensure Lasting Improvement

The Kaizen event we hate to see most are those that achieve immediate improvement that is sustained over the long-term. There is a strong temptation to regress to old, familiar habits. That’s why it is so essential to create a plan to ensure that the changes your team implements during the Kaizen event continue to pay off over the long haul. It is smart to set up regular checkpoints to access results and document the impact of the improvements that you’ve made. It is also important to remember that improvement should be continuous. The Kaizen event is not the end of the story; it’s merely the starting point for further positive change.

With this type of preparation and planning, you can have confidence that your Kaizen event will result in measurable improvement to each of the KPIs you’ve identified.