Complete firstValue Stream Mapping
A current Value Stream Map for the affected process is available with lead time, process time, and waiting times.
Without: Without a VSM, day 1 becomes data collection with little improvement progress.
RunsheetOperations
Kaizen Event
ComplexityMedium
Time0.5-5 Tage
Participants4-10
FormatWorkshop
MaturityCanonical
01
Prerequisite
What needs to be finished first
Complete firstStandard Work Analysis
Current standard work is documented, or absence of a standard is explicitly confirmed.
Without: Without a standard, stabilization after the event is not possible and improvement decays after two weeks.
02
Preparation
What needs to be ready before start
Materials
Gemba room close to the process; stopwatches; spaghetti-diagram template; A3 template; camera for before/after images; list of all relevant KPIs from the last 30 days.
People / roles
One Kaizen lead with Lean experience; one process owner with decision authority and present on site; 4-8 operators who run the process daily; one sponsor with budget for quick actions; optional external lean coach.
Pre-read
Clear scope (exactly one process segment); baseline KPIs (cycle time, first-pass yield, WIP); previous improvement attempts; known constraints (compliance, machines, shifts).
Time needed
3-5 days (usually Mon-Fri, 8 h/day)
Setup
Reserve a room with visibility to gemba. Post all KPI charts on the wall. Block all participant calendars for the week. Organize coverage for day-to-day work, otherwise dropouts start on day 2.
03
Core question
The one question this method answers
What concrete improvement in the defined process segment can the team implement and measure this week, and embed as a new standard?
04
Flow
Marker: Tag
| Step | Duration | Action | Hint |
|---|---|---|---|
1Day 1: Gemba and current-state assessment | 8 h | Observe the process on site using stopwatches and spaghetti diagram. Measure cycle times per step, note waste categories (TIMWOOD), and set baseline KPIs for the event week. | Observe at least three complete process runs, not only one. Variation is an insight, not a disruption. Do not have operators change behavior for observation. |
2Day 2: Cause analysis and target design | 8 h | Analyze top-3 wastes with 5 Whys or fishbone. Sketch the target process on a flipchart with expected cycle-time reduction and concrete standard-work format. | If the target design needs investment beyond pre-approved budget, this is not a Kaizen candidate; it is a capex project. |
3Day 3: Pilot and iterate | 8 h | Pilot the target process in the real environment. Capture data per run and adjust together with operators immediately. Run at least three iterations per day. | If operators revert to the old flow during the pilot, the new standard is either unclear or inconvenient. Tighten it immediately. |
4Day 4: Embed the new standard | 8 h | Document the new standard as a standard work sheet with steps, cycle time, and quality checkpoints. Post visualizations at the workplace. Train all affected shifts. | A standard without visible visualization will decay. At least one poster or screen at workplace, not just a PDF in the wiki. |
5Day 5: Report-out and sustain plan | 6 h | Present before-after KPI comparison. Define sustain plan with audit cadence (for example weekly for first four weeks), owner, and escalation path. Create follow-ups as A3s. | Without sustain plan, process regresses within 4-6 weeks. Schedule audit findings and escalation paths immediately. |
05
Artifact
What comes out at the end
Form
Event report with scope, baseline KPIs, before/after comparison, new standard work sheet, before and after spaghetti diagrams, and follow-up list with owners, dates, and sustain plan with audit cadence.
Versioning / ownership
Event folder with date, process name, and lead. Standard work sheet gets its own version number and date; each revision is a new version, not overwrite. Audit findings logged as an appendix in sustain log.
Tool alternatives
- A3 on paper or PDF in operations wiki
- Confluence page in Lean space with embedded photos
- Markdown in repo under docs/operations/kaizen/
- Visual management board on site with photo documentation
kaizen-event-working-template.md
Compact working template for Kaizen Event with context, input, output artifacts, and next step.
Kaizen Event Working Template
Goal
Focused improvement workshop in which a process is analyzed, improved, and standardized in a short cycle.
Context
When and for what do we use this method?
Input
Which data, observations, decisions, or materials are available?
Execution
Short notes along the runsheet.
Output artifacts
- Kaizen Charter:
- Waste List:
- Improvement Experiments:
- Standard Work Update:
Assumptions and open questions
- ...
Decision / Next step
Owner, date, and success signal.
06
Example output
Concrete filled scenario, fictional example
kaizen-event-beispiel.md
Concrete filled scenario, fictional example
Kaizen Event — Goods-inbound line 3 (11-15.05.2026)
Process Owner: @marcus (Operations Lead)
Scope: Step "Goods-inbound picking" from unloading through booking in WMS.
Baseline (previous week): Cycle Time 14 min 20 s; First-Pass Yield 81%; end-of-day WIP 47 pallets.
Main causes: 1. Scanner search time (spaghetti diagram shows 32 m walking distance per booking). 2. Duplicate entry in two systems. 3. Unclear 'done' visual status.
Measures: Add a scanner holder at each inbound station; automate SAP-WMS interface (Owner: @anna IT); red-green visual status per pallet.
Friday result: Cycle Time 9 min 10 s (-36%); First-Pass Yield 94%; WIP 18 pallets.
Sustain: Weekly audit by @marcus for 4 weeks, then monthly. Audit sheet on inbound board.
07
Pitfalls
Recognize symptoms and steer against them
Trap
Scope too broad
Symptom
Event attempts to improve goods-inbound, picking, and shipping at the same time.
What to do
Narrow to a single process segment with clear start and end points. Put remaining work into follow-up events. Kaizen needs focus, not transformation.
Trap
Process owner not free enough
Symptom
Process owner alternates between event and day-to-day work, delaying decisions.
What to do
Start event only when owner can attend about 80% of the week. Assign day-to-day backup in advance with documented handoff.
Trap
Target process on whiteboard but never piloted
Symptom
Day 3 is spent on detailed design; no real run started.
What to do
Start first pilot by noon on day 3, even if incomplete. Learning happens by doing, not by discussing. Incompleteness is expected.
Trap
Standardization stays in wiki
Symptom
New standard lives only in SharePoint, with no workplace update.
What to do
Visualize standards physically at process sites (poster, screen, markings). A standard is visible or it does not exist.
Trap
No sustain plan
Symptom
Report-out ends on Friday with no one auditing from Monday.
What to do
Set at least four calendar audit dates with named owners and escalation path for deviations.
Trap
Operators only as spectators
Symptom
Lean coach and process owner speak while operators only watch.
What to do
Operators write the new standard themselves. Coach facilitates, not designs. People doing the work also own the design.
08
Stop criteria
Done signals checkable in under a minute
Process owner is unavailable for at least 4 of 5 days, so decisions are blocked.
No reliable baseline data available; improvement cannot be measured.
Operators cannot be released; day-to-day operations take priority.
Solutions identified require capex beyond event budget, making it not a Kaizen event.
Compliance or contractual conflicts prevent piloting during the week.
Sponsor has pre-defined the outcome and the event becomes theater.
Finished the runsheet?
Go to the profile for purpose, similar methods, and sources or continue to the next method in the catalog.