Kaizen Blitz on Kindle: Mastering the Deming Process Improvement Cycle One Kaizen Event at a Time

David Weitz
3/9/2012

Review of the eBook by Ron Taylor for fulfillment of TQM requirement for Mr. John Marino

Weitz |2

Table of Contents
2 Introduction 4 About Kaizen and the Book 5 Kaizen Background 7 Examples of Kaizen in Action 8 Conclusion 9 Works Cited

Weitz |3

Introduction
Kaizen Blitz on Kindle: Mastering the Deming Process Improvement Cycle One Kaizen Event at a Time by Ron Taylor is an e-Book with the main focus of emphasizing the importance of continual innovation within an organization. The author believes that the only sustainable resource is the innovation to perform processes more efficiently than the competition and creating value by being efficient in processes. The author, Ron Taylor, is a graduate of the Air Force Institute of Technology with a MS in Logistics Management. Mr. Taylor has written many books including The Millionaires Secret and The Hitchhikers Guide to America. His books range from a wide spectrum of topics such as how to become a home entrepreneur or how to survive man-made disasters such as martial law, economic turmoil, and terrorist attacks. When Mr. Taylor is not writing, he enjoys panning for gold in his native California on the Kern River.

Weitz |4

About Kaizen and the Book

A Kaizen Blitz is a special event aimed at improving a process within the organization following a deliberate process known as the kaizen cycle. The kaizen cycle improvement model is based on Edward Demings (Oct. 14, 1900 Dec. 20, 1993) quality initiatives and his continuous process improvement cycle.

Edward Deming

Taylor expands on Demings model by championing an aspect of Goldratts Theory of Constraints ( "A chain is no stronger than its weakest link") which is where a bottleneck in production is discovered and resolved. The author believes that by finding this constraint and then using the principles of kaizen to resolve the issue, productivity and efficiency are improved. To find this constraint, a corporation must adopt the principle of championing. This is also called employee empowerment in Total Quality Management. Regardless of what one calls it, it is the facilitation of a corporate culture of continuous improvement that provides employees

Weitz |5 and shareholders with the tools and support necessary to identify and resolve problem areas. Through adoption of this principle, an organization can remain innovative and add value to every process.

Kaizen Background
After World War II, Japan entered a period of reconstructing industries to enter the emerging world trade market, Japan knew due to their small geographic area, some preconceived biases due to WWII and a lack of some resources other nations possess, quality would be of utmost importance. They invited quality gurus to their nation for consultation including W. Edwards Deming. Deming impressed on the Japanese the concept of continuous improvement. This movement became known as kaizen, which translate from the Japanese to change for the better. Within a few decades, Japanese products became known worldwide for exceptional quality and products made by Toyota and Sony were challenging domestic manufacturers in the US market. There are many different quality initiatives that have emerged over the past 60 years. Names include total quality management, total process management, six sigma, ISO standardization, and kaizen. Regardless of what name is used, the concept remains the same; locating a process that needs improvement, devising a standardized solution for that process, implementation of the process, and finally measuring for success.

Weitz |6 There are six steps in the kaizen cycle: 1. Standardization of a specific process. There must be a specific way that all employees handle a process so that the performance can be measured reliably, based on the process itself and not the employees unique actions. 2. Measure the specific operation. How long does it take for the process to go from start to finish? 3. Measure the time against a goal. After measuring how long the process takes, determine if the time it takes is satisfactory or too slow. Also note if the process has become a bottle neck. 4. Brainstorm for ways to improve the process. Part of this brainstorming requires a realistic plan of implementation and standardization if the plan is going to be used. 5. Measure result against the baseline (average time) to measure efficacy. It is very important to realize that not every change will result in success. Kaizen believes that there are no failures, but simply a new discovery in how not to do something. 6. Once that process is a success, focus on the next process that needs improvement.

Weitz |7 By going through this process multiple times, the culture of continuous improvement will be expected and appreciated by all members of your enterprise. Successful Kaizen implementation requires identifying the problem, not the symptom. When a person has a runny nose, the problem is usually a sinus infection or the flu. The symptom is simply that of a runny nose. In kaizen you want to treat the problem of the infection, not the symptom of the runny nose.

Examples of Kaizen in action

A Honda assembly plant had an issue whenever they needed to change a die. The shaft that held the die was over a foot long which resulted in a fifteen minute turnaround time for the die to be changed. An employee proposed chopping the shaft down to the minimum length required to meet safety standards in order to make the die be more quickly changed. This idea was brainstorm, implemented, and tested. Results found that this change in process resulted in the die capable of being changed in less than five minutes with no expense to quality or safety. This simple process was implemented elsewhere in the facility resulting in time savings that are now nearly immeasurable. In-N-Out burger is a fast-food restaurant based out of California. Using kaizen principles, facilities were redesigned to give customers quality food with fast-food production time. When one walks in the door, the order station is immediately in front. The customer service person notes the size of the party and shouts something to the effect of four walking in so that the person on burgers know to put an appropriate number of burgers on the grill as well as the fry attendant knowing how many fries to drop. This is all done before a single order being placed by knowing that each customer through the door is most likely ordering a burger that contains two

Weitz |8 patties as well as a side of fries. This lowers lead time which results in the process improvement of lowering customer wait time.

Conclusion
This book was extremely effective in giving its reader an appreciation for the kaizen cycle. Although Mr. Taylor does not expand on the kaizen cycle any further than a standard textbook, his examples of how to implement changes in an industry or in ones personal life is very eye opening. The author has examples of how one can mind-map kaizen cycles for processes in personal life in order to more efficiently achieve goals or perform routine functions, such as studying. Mr. Taylor also has a great anecdote on how changing one small process throughout an entire plant can create chaos if you do not measure and test the change thoroughly without implementation. All readers should leave with the concept that the focus on addressing bottle necks and working first and foremost to improve those, is one of the most important principles of continuous innovation and improvement that can be implemented within an organization. When one studies business, the principle of competitive advantage is always emphasized. Mr. Taylors focus on obtaining competitive advantage through innovation and improvement is a fantastic concept that all businesses, regardless of size, can adopt to be more competitive in the future and even if for that sole reason, makes this work a great resource for new managers or those looking to bring new life into a stagnant organization.

Weitz |9

Works Cited
Taylor, Ron. Kaizen Blitz On Kindle: Mastering The Deming Process Improvement Cycle One Kaizen Event At A Time. Amazon Digital Services, 2010. Print.

"The Art of Kaizen Continuous Improvement." The Art of Kaizen Continuous Improvement. Inside Destiny. Web. 11 Mar. 2012.

"Theory of Constraints." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 03 Sept. 2012. Web. 11 Mar. 2012.

"W. Edwards Deming." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 03 Nov. 2012. Web. 11 Mar. 2012.

"Taking the First Step with the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) Cycle - Karn G. Bulsuk: Full Speed Ahead." Karn G. Bulsuk: Full Speed Ahead. Web. 11 Mar. 2012.