What is a kaizen event?
A kaizen event is a short, intense improvement project: a small team works full time on one process for a week, analyses it, changes it on the floor and measures the result. Where everyday kaizen is many small ideas, a kaizen event tackles a bigger problem that needs several people, several functions and a few days of focus, such as reorganizing a work area into a cell, cutting a changeover with SMED or removing delays from an office process.
Before, during and after the event
| Phase | Key activities |
|---|---|
| Prepare (2–4 weeks before) | Select the process and sponsor, write the charter, collect baseline data, choose and book the team, arrange support |
| Event (3–5 days) | Train, observe and map the current state, find waste, test ideas on the floor, implement, write standard work, measure, report out |
| Follow up (30 days) | Close the actions on the kaizen newspaper, audit the new standard, confirm the results hold |
Kaizen event example
A packaging area takes 26 hours to ship an order that needs less than an hour of work. During a five-day event the team follows twelve orders, maps the flow, draws a spaghetti diagram of walking and finds waste in 41 places. They rebuild packing as a U-shaped cell with FIFO lanes by carrier and pre-kitted boxes, write new standard work and trial it on both shifts. Results: lead time from 26 to 10.5 hours, WIP from 42 to 18 pallets, walking per order from 410 to 165 metres and productivity up 42%. All five targets are met; four actions remain on the 30-day list.
Keys to a successful kaizen event
- A clear, measurable charter agreed with the sponsor before the event.
- The right team, released full time: the people who do the work, plus a fresh eye.
- Bias for action: try ideas on the floor with cardboard and tape the same day.
- Measure the same way before and after, on the same metrics.
- Close the 30-day list and audit the new standard, or the gains will fade.
How to use this Kaizen Event tool
- Write the charter. Enter the event, area, dates, sponsor and leader, then the problem, scope, objectives and team.
- Set the metrics. Click + to add each metric with its baseline, target and whether lower or higher is better.
- Plan the agenda. Edit the activities for each day of the event.
- Record the results. At the end of the event, click each metric and enter the result. The chart shows before, target and after on one scale.
- List the follow-up actions. Add the 30-day actions with owners and due dates, and review them weekly.
- Report out. Export the event summary to PDF for the management report-out, or to Excel.
Frequently asked questions
What is a kaizen event?
A kaizen event (also kaizen blitz or rapid improvement event) is a focused workshop, usually three to five days, in which a cross-functional team analyses one process and implements improvements on the spot. It ends with measured results, new standard work and a short list of follow-up actions to finish within 30 days.
How do you plan a kaizen event?
Choose a process with a clear problem and a sponsor, write a charter with scope, objectives and metrics, collect baseline data, pick a team that includes the people who do the work plus a fresh eye, and free their time for the whole event. Preparation usually takes two to four weeks.
What is a kaizen newspaper?
The kaizen newspaper is the list of actions that could not be finished during the event: what, who, by when and status. It is reviewed weekly until every item is closed, typically within 30 days, so the improvement is completed and not left half done.
What metrics should a kaizen event track?
Choose three to six metrics linked to the objective, measured the same way before and after: lead time, WIP, cycle time, walking distance, floor space, productivity, defects, changeover time. This tool indexes each metric to its baseline so improvements in different units can be compared on one chart.
Who should be on the kaizen team?
Six to ten people: operators who do the work every day, a supervisor, support functions needed to make changes (maintenance, quality, IT), and at least one person from outside the area who asks naive questions. A trained facilitator leads the team.
Why do kaizen event results fade?
Usually because the 30-day actions are not finished, the new standard work is not audited, or the area returns to old habits under pressure. Assign every action an owner and date, audit the new standard at 30 days, and keep the metrics on the area's board.