Method guideOperations

Kaizen Event

A practical method guide: clarify prerequisites and materials, understand the complete process, and look up outputs, pitfalls, and stop criteria.

ComplexityMedium

Time0.5-5 Tage

Participants4-10

FormatWorkshop

MaturityCanonical

Plan Kaizen Event

Prerequisite

What needs to be finished first

Complete firstClear boundary

Secure stability, sponsor, scope, baseline, target, and team before the event; clarify safety and operating boundaries.

Without a boundary, cases, periods, or variables become mixed.

Complete firstEvidence access

Stable baseline process, gemba data, target measures, materials for immediate tests, standard-work forms, and follow-up board

Missing sources remain visible as uncertainty.

Preparation

What needs to be ready before start

Materials

Stable baseline process, gemba data, target measures, materials for immediate tests, standard-work forms, and follow-up board

People / roles

Sponsor · event lead · frontline team · process owner · safety/quality · data owner

Pre-read

Secure stability, sponsor, scope, baseline, target, and team before the event; clarify safety and operating boundaries.

Time needed

Typically five days plus 30/60-day follow-up; one to two weeks of preparation.

Setup

Prepare a workspace with Prepare · Gemba · Target · Implement · Standardise; separate example from live data.

Core question

The one question this method answers

Which measurable process improvement can the frontline team implement, test, and standardise at the gemba within days?

Flow

Phases with goal, actions, output and pitfall

Ein klarer Ausschnitt des Arbeitsflusses wird intensiv betrachtet, sodass Probleme nicht abstrakt bleiben. Kleine Experimente zeigen direkt, welche Änderung Reibung reduziert und welche nur kosmetisch wirkt. Der Gewinn liegt in der kurzen Distanz zwischen Beobachtung, Anpassung und neuem Standard.

Kaizen Event · working structure

Fictional example

Fictional values show the actual method fields.

Event charter

Clarify scope, baseline, target, team, materials, and decision authority before the event.

Scope Saturday handoff; p80 18→12 minutes; Ops sponsor; Warehouse, Support, Booking; no safety trade-offs.

Current state

Observe current work at the place; make steps, waiting, motion, inventory, and problems visible.

32 handoffs: seven-minute search, two return walks, 11 units waiting before handoff.

Target condition

Examine waste and causes; design target condition, hypotheses, and daily experiments.

Sort units by slot; one-way flow; target search <2 minutes and WIP max 8.

Tested flow

Build changes immediately, test safely in real work, measure, and adjust daily.

Rack labels and slot cart built; 24 real handoffs: search 1.6 minutes, no wrong unit.

New standard

Capture best confirmed flow as standard work; train, assign owner, and set follow-up.

Slot cart, scan sequence, WIP8 documented; shift training; Lea owns; 30/60-day review.

All values are fictional.

Reference · original teaching example

1
Prepare
Event charter
Goal
Event charter: Clarify scope, baseline, target, team, materials, and decision authority before the event.
Inputs for this step
- Secure stability, sponsor, scope, baseline, target, and team before the event; clarify safety and operating boundaries.
- Stable baseline process, gemba data, target measures, materials for immediate tests, standard-work forms, and follow-up board
Actions
- Clarify scope, baseline, target, team, materials, and decision authority before the event.
Output
Event charter
Clarify scope, baseline, target, team, materials, and decision authority before the event.
Quality check
Are the process stable, target measurable, and required authorities present?
Pitfall
Event starts on an unstable process without baseline. Stabilise or reduce scope; close charter and data before day 1.
Timing: One to two weeks
2
Gemba
Current state
Goal
Current state: Observe current work at the place; make steps, waiting, motion, inventory, and problems visible.
Inputs for this step
- Event charter
Actions
- Observe current work at the place; make steps, waiting, motion, inventory, and problems visible.
Output
Current state
Observe current work at the place; make steps, waiting, motion, inventory, and problems visible.
Quality check
Is current state based on direct observation and measurement?
Pitfall
Conference-room assumptions replace real work. Walk process with operators, time work, and mark deviations.
Timing: Day 1
3
Target
Target condition
Goal
Target condition: Examine waste and causes; design target condition, hypotheses, and daily experiments.
Inputs for this step
- Current state
Actions
- Examine waste and causes; design target condition, hypotheses, and daily experiments.
Output
Target condition
Examine waste and causes; design target condition, hypotheses, and daily experiments.
Quality check
Does the target link measurable effect to a concrete work change?
Pitfall
Brainstorming produces many ideas without target or cause. Aim a few tests at observed obstacles and target measure.
Timing: Day 2
4
Implement
Tested flow
Goal
Tested flow: Build changes immediately, test safely in real work, measure, and adjust daily.
Inputs for this step
- Target condition
Actions
- Build changes immediately, test safely in real work, measure, and adjust daily.
Output
Tested flow
Build changes immediately, test safely in real work, measure, and adjust daily.
Quality check
Was real work tested for safety, quality, and delivery?
Pitfall
Team only writes an action plan for later. Implement during the event and escalate blockers daily.
Timing: Days 3–4
5
Standardise
New standard
Goal
New standard: Capture best confirmed flow as standard work; train, assign owner, and set follow-up.
Inputs for this step
- Tested flow
Actions
- Capture best confirmed flow as standard work; train, assign owner, and set follow-up.
Output
New standard
Capture best confirmed flow as standard work; train, assign owner, and set follow-up.
Quality check
Are takt/sequence/WIP, training, measure, and 30/60-day review clear?
Pitfall
Work returns to the old flow after the event. Display standard at gemba and schedule deviation response and follow-up.
Timing: Day 5 plus follow-up

Artifact

What comes out at the end

Sketch: what the artifact looks like

Kaizen Event · kontinuierliche VerbesserungEinen abgegrenzten Prozess vor Ort beobachten, Verschwendung finden, Verbesserungen testen und als neuen Standard verankern

Form

Kaizen event report with current state, target condition, implemented tests, measured result, new standard, and follow-up.

Versioning / ownership

Record date, owner, source state, and review date; preserve prior versions.

Tool alternatives

Gemba and current-state board
Test and action log
Standard work and follow-up board

kaizen-event-working-template.md

Set subject, evidence, roles, flow, and review.

Kaizen Event: Worksheet

Question

To be confirmed

Desired outcome

To be confirmed

Scope

Whole initiative Time: Typically five days plus 30/60-day follow-up; one to two weeks of preparation.

Complete this worksheet on paper or in your own document during the work.

Preparation for this scope

Method setup

Materials: Stable baseline process, gemba data, target measures, materials for immediate tests, standard-work forms, and follow-up board
Roles: Sponsor · event lead · frontline team · process owner · safety/quality · data owner
Advance information: Secure stability, sponsor, scope, baseline, target, and team before the event; clarify safety and operating boundaries.
Overall time needed: Typically five days plus 30/60-day follow-up; one to two weeks of preparation.
Setup: Prepare a workspace with Prepare · Gemba · Target · Implement · Standardise; separate example from live data.

Prepare for the work steps

Prepare: Event charter

Secure stability, sponsor, scope, baseline, target, and team before the event; clarify safety and operating boundaries.
Stable baseline process, gemba data, target measures, materials for immediate tests, standard-work forms, and follow-up board

Gemba: Current state

Event charter

Target: Target condition

Current state

Implement: Tested flow

Target condition

Standardise: New standard

Tested flow

Kaizen Event · working structure

Event charter

Clarify scope, baseline, target, team, materials, and decision authority before the event.

...

Current state

Observe current work at the place; make steps, waiting, motion, inventory, and problems visible.

...

Target condition

Examine waste and causes; design target condition, hypotheses, and daily experiments.

...

Tested flow

Build changes immediately, test safely in real work, measure, and adjust daily.

...

New standard

Capture best confirmed flow as standard work; train, assign owner, and set follow-up.

...

The blank worksheet contains prompts only.

Reference · original teaching example

Prepare: Event charter

Expected artifact: Event charter

Clarify scope, baseline, target, team, materials, and decision authority before the event.

Entry:

...

Are the process stable, target measurable, and required authorities present?

Gemba: Current state

Expected artifact: Current state

Observe current work at the place; make steps, waiting, motion, inventory, and problems visible.

Entry:

...

Is current state based on direct observation and measurement?

Target: Target condition

Expected artifact: Target condition

Examine waste and causes; design target condition, hypotheses, and daily experiments.

Entry:

...

Does the target link measurable effect to a concrete work change?

Implement: Tested flow

Expected artifact: Tested flow

Build changes immediately, test safely in real work, measure, and adjust daily.

Entry:

...

Was real work tested for safety, quality, and delivery?

Standardise: New standard

Expected artifact: New standard

Capture best confirmed flow as standard work; train, assign owner, and set follow-up.

Entry:

...

Are takt/sequence/WIP, training, measure, and 30/60-day review clear?

Open questions and next steps

...

Method guide: https://methodatlas.meierhoff-systems.de/en/methods/kaizen-event/run-sheet

Example output

Concrete filled scenario, fictional example

Fictional example for orientation. Counts and timings describe this case and are not universal requirements.

kaizen-event-beispiel.md

Concrete filled scenario, fictional example

Fictional teaching example: Kaizen Event · working structure

Event charter

Scope Saturday handoff; p80 18→12 minutes; Ops sponsor; Warehouse, Support, Booking; no safety trade-offs.

Current state

32 handoffs: seven-minute search, two return walks, 11 units waiting before handoff.

Target condition

Sort units by slot; one-way flow; target search <2 minutes and WIP max 8.

Tested flow

Rack labels and slot cart built; 24 real handoffs: search 1.6 minutes, no wrong unit.

New standard

Slot cart, scan sequence, WIP8 documented; shift training; Lea owns; 30/60-day review.

Pitfalls

Recognize symptoms and steer against them

Quick overview, the full text is in the matching phase in the flow

Event charterEvent starts on an unstable process without baseline.View in phase
Current stateConference-room assumptions replace real work.View in phase
Target conditionBrainstorming produces many ideas without target or cause.View in phase
Tested flowTeam only writes an action plan for later.View in phase
New standardWork returns to the old flow after the event.View in phase