Kaizen Masterclass for Leadership and Continuous Improvement

Lead a Kaizen event to eradicate the burning process and achieve a low Six Sigma score by mapping the current process, identifying improvements, and implementing changes with an appointed facilitator.

Explore the three kaizen stages—preparation, blitz event, and follow-up—and how to apply PDCA, smart objectives, and root cause analysis in a five-day improvement project.

Explore the qualities of a Kaizen leader and facilitator, from perseverance and analytical thinking to people skills, guiding cross-functional teams toward continuous improvement with lean and root cause analysis tools.

Explore the Tuckman team development model, detailing forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning as teams form and mature through project work.

Allocate roles and responsibilities in cross-functional projects using the RACI model. Define who is responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed, and learn rules to ensure clear ownership and identify delays.

Understand formal and informal teams in Kaizen, Lean, and Six Sigma projects. Formal teams carry charters and goals; informal teams are cross-functional and flexible, handling training, data, and day-to-day execution.

Explore McGregor's theory X and theory Y, contrasting authoritarian micromanagement with servant, empowerment through open two-way communication in agile and scrum contexts to boost motivation and productivity.

Explore McClelland's theory of needs, namely achievement, affiliation, and power, as core motivators shaping behavior and not inherent at birth. Understand how these drives develop through life and professional experiences.

Explore how Kaizen enables leadership to shift from centralized to decentralized systems, addressing roadblocks like approval bottlenecks and slow communication with signatures and change management.

Define a strong problem statement using the five Ws and how, with examples from Lean Six Sigma to specify what, where, when, why, who, and impact.

Apply a project prioritization matrix to brainstorm projects, assign factors such as duration, cost, complexity, return on investment, rank and sum scores, and focus resources on the highest priority opportunities.

Explore voice of customers as a barometer of expectations, identify four customer types, and apply the Garnham model to map must-be, one-dimensional, attractive delighters, indifferent, and reverse quality needs.

Identify the bottleneck using the theory of constraints, then exploit, subordinate, elevate, and find the next constraint to continuously improve output.

Learn the Gemba walk to observe the real process, identify gaps between ideal and actual states, and record insights for root-cause analysis with respect and focus on value.

Learn to draw and customize histograms in Excel 2016, use a downloadable template for older versions, and adjust bin width, number of bins, and overflow/underflow to visualize salary data.

Explore how scatterplots visualize relationships between independent and dependent variables, reveal correlation through the line of best fit, and identify outliers for root-cause analysis and prediction.

Learn to plot a scatterplot in Excel 2016, analyze oil price versus commodity price, add a trendline, display the equation and R2, and forecast values with the model.

Master stratification, a seven quality tools technique that organizes data from multiple sources into an identifiable form to reveal patterns and compare biology and chemistry.

a control chart is a time-ordered graph of a process, using a centerline and upper and lower control limits to monitor performance and detect special-cause variation.

Draw a simple control chart in Excel using upper and lower limits and monthly observations to monitor production. Note that for advanced charts, use Minitab.

Explore check sheets as a structured data tool for collecting, presenting, and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data, including classification, frequency (tally), defect location (concentration) diagrams, and measurement scale sheets.

Master the five why analysis, a simple yet powerful root cause analysis tool for defining problems and asking why, and learn when to apply countermeasures or explore fishbone (Ishikawa) diagrams.

Use the fishbone diagram to visualize and categorize root causes, guiding brainstorming and corrective actions, while knowing when to choose five whys over fishbone in service and manufacturing.

Explore the nominal group technique, a structured brainstorming method. It identifies problems and prioritizes ideas through steps: introduction, generation of ideas, idea share, idea group discussion, and prioritization using multi-voting.

Master mind mapping as a visual, branch-driven tool to capture ideas from the mind onto paper, using a central idea, color-coded branches, and imagery to boost brainstorming, memory, and learning.

Discover how affinity diagrams organize brainstormed ideas into themed clusters by similarity, revealing root causes for problems and guiding project improvement and Six Sigma initiatives.

Apply the Pareto principle to identify top causes and drive solutions with Pareto charts, revealing the 80/20 rule to boost productivity, profitability, and customer service in kaizen and lean contexts.

Draw a pareto diagram in excel 2016 using the histogram. Use the provided template on older versions to generate a chart and reveal factors driving about 80 percent of sales.

Understand cycle time as the time to produce one unit from start to finish, and compare it with takt time to meet customer demand, guiding delivery planning and process improvements.

Explore time in manufacturing through a simulated case study of a product, detailing three processes, downtime, and the per-unit time needed to meet daily production and customer demand.

Clarify how cycle time and lead time relate: cycle time is manufacturing duration, while lead time spans from order receipt to product delivery and payment.

Apply value stream mapping to identify and reduce lead time by distinguishing value-added from non-value-added steps, then use lean methods (5S, SMED, mistake-proofing) to cut waste and inventory.

Apply lean and Six Sigma principles to identify value-added activities, minimize waste, and boost customer value by delivering quality products and services on time and at the right cost.

Explore lean process improvement tools—from smart goals and kaizen to value stream mapping and PDCA—to reduce waste and defects in manufacturing and service settings.

Apply one-piece flow and continuous flow in lean production to reduce lead time and waste, cutting it from 17 to 7 minutes and reducing waiting, inventory, and transport.

Trace the origins of lean and just-in-time at Toyota, and learn how they reduce inventory and waste while shortening lead times through pull and pool systems.

Explore how Kanban visualizes project workflow, limits work in progress, focuses on flow, and drives continuous improvement, with backlog, to-do, in-progress, review, and done stages.

Explore poka-yoke concepts in lean tool iv: prevention, facilitation, and detection to eliminate mistakes; apply stopping, controlling flow, or signaling to improve process reliability.

Learn to communicate project progress using the E3 problem solving approach and plan-do-think-act cycles to clarify problems, identify root causes, implement countermeasures, and standardize improvements.

Learn to communicate project progress using E3 and ITRI analysis, set SMART targets, map root causes with fishbone analysis, and apply a plan-do-act cycle to sustain improvements.