Successful Kaizen Event Leadership
In my blog post, “Countdown to Kaizen: the Kaizen Event Planning Process” I promised to cover the Kaizen Event Leadership process. Becoming a skilled Kaizen Event Facilitator does not happen overnight - it takes years of practice to perfect the tools, techniques and leadership style necessary to step in and lead any and all event types successfully.
This post is the first in the Kaizen Event Leadership series, and will focus on the successful "Day 1" kickoff of the most common Kaizen event type, often referred to as the “Classic Shop Floor” event.
The same approach will work for other types of events but there are definite differences in the planning and execution of a Business Process Kaizen, Lean Material Flow, Total Productive Maintenance, Lean Line Design, 3P, Quality, Safety/Ergo, and Value Stream Mapping events.
I love facilitating and leading Kaizen Events (which is a great thing considering how many I have led over my career), not because of the numerical results we achieve but because I am passionate about developing people. Watching the "a-ha!" moments and the shift in beliefs about empowerment and the ability to make a difference is tremendously fun. My most memorable events are rarely the ones that yielded the highest dollar savings.
One event that stands out in my memory started out in a very unique way...
I had traveled from Detroit to the Philadelphia area on a Sunday afternoon. Not much went easily from the travel standpoint. When I arrived to my hotel it was close to midnight. That night I did not open up my computer like I normally do. I went straight to bed to get some needed sleep before an early morning wake up call.
The next morning at 7:20 AM, I arrived at the manufacturing location where I was set to start a Kaizen Event at 8:00 AM. I gathered my computer and supplies and went to set up the room. Everything was going fine until I started up my computer. Or rather, I turned on the computer and all that came up was the "Blue Screen of Death". I turned it on and off, rebooted, and summoned the local IT expert. The verdict? My computer was dead and nothing was going to revive it.
So at about 7:45 AM I realized I needed to go not from "Plan A" to "Plan B" or "Plan C" but to something radically different. I asked for some flip chart paper and pens and then proceeded to kick off the Kaizen Event without aid of technology.
I conducted six hours of lean training manually, on flip charts, interactively with my team. I improvised all of the presentations, the games, and even the video examples (which were not yet on YouTube like they are now).
The Kickoff of the event generated a lot of creative energy and a touch of humor as I found my groove.
During the training we talked, we laughed, and we learned together. The "we can do it" attitude forged on Day 1 carried through the entire event as the team worked together to do things we had not expected to achieve during the week. We created our presentation using the flip charts and photographed examples of what we implemented. The event was successful, and for years afterwards, I had participants from that event call me, send me emails, or mention the event and how it changed their thinking about lean and Kaizen Events.
When you hear, 'it's not how you start, it's how you finish' don't listen... how you start matters!
My point to this story: the way you start in the Event Kickoff has a huge influence on setting the tone, the expectations, and the energy level throughout the event. The way you respond to problems and challenges during the event will impact not only the results but also will have an impact on what you are really teaching and what others will learn.
I have collected and developed many tips and tricks that will make Kaizen Events go much more smoothly. I will share these over several articles, starting with Day 1 and continuing through the Followup process. What follows is a collection of my favorite suggestions for Day 1 and how to kick off your Kaizen Event to increase the likelihood of a memorable experience and outstanding results.
Setting the Stage for Success: the Kaizen Event Room Setup
On the first day of your event, arrive no later than thirty minutes before your scheduled start time. Set up the Kaizen room for success: tables in a "U" shape with chairs spaced around the outside, a facilitator station in the front of the room, two flip charts, and a display screen in the front, and cabinets, shelves or tables with Kaizen Event supplies in the back.
Test the display and speakers if you have video. Make certain you know how everything works.
It's no accident that the graphical representation of the room has only one laptop computer for the facilitator on the table. One of your rules for Kaizen Events should include, "This is your job for the week: while you are here we want you to be present". Participants need to be fully engaged during the event and laptops, phones and tablets will serve as a distraction.
Don't Forget to Communicate with the Target Area Personnel
Attend or send a delegate to the start of shift meeting in the target area; remind everyone about the event and gather input from area workers and team leaders. Post the Scope and Objectives of the event on the Kaizen Event area flip chart if you have not done so already. You will gather feedback from and post updates to this flip chart throughout the week.
Energize the Team with a Flawless Kickoff
Return to the Kaizen room, and write a "Welcome" note on one of the flip charts in the front of the room, set out snacks and supplies, and greet everyone as they arrive. If they start to pull out computers, make sure they understand that those need to stay in their bags.
Start on time, do not wait for stragglers. Always be respectful when people do arrive late - don't judge or embarrass them, welcome them to the team and quickly get them seated.
Conduct a location safety/security briefing. Remind participants about rules for signing in and out, badges, personal protective equipment, safety on the floor, and emergency procedures.
Once everyone is settled in, introduce your guest Kickoff Speaker, sit down and let them speak. When the speaker finishes, remind him or her of the afternoon management meetings and the final report out, and say thank you. At this point you can take control of the room, and if you do this right it will set the tone for the whole event.
Start by going over a review of the event Scope and Objectives. Write them on a flip chart. Introduce yourself, and then give everyone in the room the opportunity to introduce themselves. Typically, the introductions will include name, position, how long they have been working with the company and/or Kaizen Event experience, an interesting fact about themselves, and their expectations for the week. This should be done quickly, but resist the urge to rush it as a significant benefit of Kaizen Events is the opportunity to forge stronger cross-functional working relationships.
Record the team's expectations on a flip chart. Tell the group that you will revisit their expectations later in the week.
Reviewing the Agenda and Setting Expectations
Next, review the event agenda including expectations from the team with respect to breaks, questions, and starting on time. Plan to take breaks throughout the day, keeping them around ten minutes long.
For lunch, most teams enjoy the time spent together and my preference is to keep the team together for relationship building. But, you should use judgement here. If you have participants who are trying to keep up with their "day" job during the week, you may want to turn people loose and tell them they are welcome to eat together as a group or if they leave, give them a firm time to be back.
When returning from breaks and lunches, start on time, every time. Set they expectation at the start of the event and maintain consistency.
Training: It's More Than a Slide Deck!
You should always conduct training at the beginning of your Kaizen Event. It's great to have a "standard slide deck" but be aware that every event is a little different. Depending on the expertise of your team, and the Scope and Objectives, you may need to adjust your approach.
Instead of forcing event participants to sit through three to eight hours of lecture, break up your training into sections, incorporate games and videos, conduct a wastewalk of the process to look for opportunities. Participants will learn and retain more of what they see, hear, say and do than what they just hear and see, and will learn more when training is fun, fresh and interactive.
Do not feel like all the formal training has to be done on the first day. Consider conducting sessions on key topics "Just In Time" so that the materials are fresh in the participants minds. Sessions you might want to hold off on include time studies and writing standard work.
One other note: know your topic. To maintain leadership and control of the event, you need to be well schooled in what you are teaching. Practice delivering your training. Write down questions you have or things you do not understand and research these topics on your own, or ask for help from your sensei. If you are not confident in your knowledge of the materials - seek assistance from an outside consultant or experienced facilitator.
A Note About A3 Problem Solving During Kaizen Events
If your organization uses A3 problem solving, the Kaizen Event can be an opportunity for problem solvers to practice using the A3 methodology. The A3 report can be used in this way to document the efforts of the team and solidify problem solving training by use in a real-time, first-hand experience.
More importantly, Kaizen Events can be an opportunity for skilled practitioners to take a particular portion of the event to do some "above and beyond" focused problem solving. If you decide to do this, make certain the topic of the A3 is moving the event objectives forward. One person from the team should be designated as the A3 author, and they should start the process on the first day of the event.
While incorporating additional problem solving may require additional effort and coaching on the part of the Kaizen Event facilitator, the impact of doing so can increase the speed of adoption of A3 thinking throughout your organization.
Planning Ahead for the Kaizen Event Report Out
All Kaizen Events should have an end of event report out delivered by the entire team to area personnel and the Management Team.
While it may seem a bit premature, go ahead and start working on your presentation on the first day of the event. If your organization prefers formal PowerPoint presentations, create a standard template that is easily modified. If your organization is more concerned with the process, the learning, and sharing information than in presentation formality, you may be able to complete your presentation using the flip chart paper you write on all week. If you need to share the presentation electronically, keep the flip charts neat: simply photograph each sheet and put it into a slide deck, page by page.
Regardless of whether you do your report out using an A3, flip charts, PowerPoint or some other process, you will be thankful at the end of the week that you started early.
Keeping Track of What is Done and What is Left to Do
Throughout Day 1, use your Kaizen Event planning template or checklist to stay on track. Check off the items that are completed as you finish them. Many organizations refer to this template or checklist as the "Kaizen Newspaper".
Meet with your team at the end of the day to review what you have done, and what your game plan is for Day 2. Designate team members to attend the area start of shift meetings for all shifts each day with updates and to gather feedback. They should also take the Kaizen Newspaper out to the target area and post it onto the area flip chart.
Day 1: Bringing It All Together
Key takeaways from managing Day 1 activities include setting up the Kaizen Event Room, communication with area workers, providing participants with the "big picture" by tying in the event objectives to the organization's strategic goals during the Kickoff Speaker's introductory speech, and managing activities using the Kaizen Newspaper. The more preparation you put in before the event, the more likely you will have a smooth, high energy Kickoff on Day 1.
If you have any questions about kicking off your Kaizen Event, please comment below.
©2018 Dawn A. Armfield, ValueFlo Consulting LLC
