ManufacturingWorkshop

Kaizen event (one-day version)

480 minutes 11 blocks Free template

The kaizen workshop stages in one day: kickoff and training, gemba, future-state ideas, implement and test, standardize, report-out.

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By the end of this meetingThe team has implemented, tested and standardized an improvement and reported it to senior management.

480 min · 11 blocks, drawn to scale Fits exactly

Kickoff and training on principles, 50 minutes
Go to the gemba: process walk, data, root cause, 90 minutes
Break, 15 minutes
Future-state plan and improvement ideas, 40 minutes
Choose the ideas to implement, 10 minutes
Lunch, 45 minutes
Implement and test, 120 minutes
Break, 15 minutes
Standardize the new method, 50 minutes
Report-out to senior management, 30 minutes
Schedule 30, 60 and 90-day follow-up audits, 15 minutes

+0′Kickoff and training on principlesTip: Confirm a tight scope and its link to strategy up front.50 minInfo
+50′Go to the gemba: process walk, data, root cause90 minDiscuss
+140′Break15 minBreak
+155′Future-state plan and improvement ideasWhat would you change in this process?40 minBrainstorm
+195′Choose the ideas to implementWhich idea should we implement first?Tip: Replace the options with the top ideas from the brainstorm.10 minVote
+205′Lunch45 minBreak
+250′Implement and test120 minDecide
+370′Break15 minBreak
+385′Standardize the new method50 minDecide
+435′Report-out to senior managementTip: Report measured results honestly; don't inflate them.30 minWrap-up
+465′Schedule 30, 60 and 90-day follow-up audits15 minInfo

Why it works

Built so the kaizen event (one-day version) ends on time, with everyone in it.

Updates stay short
65 minutes of updates with a visible clock. In a video call the speaker is spotlighted and the room is muted, so nobody talks over them.
Discussion with a clock
90 minutes of open floor with a countdown everyone can see, and a talk-balance meter so the loudest voice doesn't take all of it.
A break that ends
Cameras pause and the timer keeps running, so the break finishes on time and everyone comes back together.
Ideas from every phone
Everyone types at once and ideas land on the shared screen together. The quiet person's idea gets the same space as everyone else's.
A vote the whole room sees
One tap each on a phone, live bars on the screen. A tick shows who has voted, never what they chose.
It ends in a decision
Capture the decision and its owner with one click while it's said. It lands in the summary, word for word.

How to run it

1Prepare well beforehand: pick a scope the team can finish and link it to strategy.
2Open with training on principles, then go to the gemba to walk the process, collect data and find root causes.
3Collect improvement ideas from the whole team and vote on which to implement.
4Implement, test and standardize the change, measuring the result honestly.
5Report out to senior management and schedule follow-up audits so results last.
6Avoid marathon sessions that burn people out; take real breaks.

Questions about the kaizen event (one-day version)

How long is a kaizen event?: The Lean Enterprise Institute describes kaizen workshops commonly lasting five days, with the report-out mid-day on the last day. An LEI Lean Post article discusses running a week of kaizen in one day, which this template does; to run the full week, spread these blocks across days.
What are the stages of a kaizen event?: Kickoff and training, going to the gemba for data and root-cause analysis, a future-state plan and ideas, implementing and testing, a report-out to senior management, and follow-up audits at 30, 60 and 90 days (the last from a weaker source).
Why do kaizen events fail?: LEI lists little measurable impact, a poor link to strategy, results that don't last, poor preparation, too much scope and inflated results.

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Kaizen event (one-day version)

480 minutes 11 blocks Free template

The kaizen workshop stages in one day: kickoff and training, gemba, future-state ideas, implement and test, standardize, report-out.

Opens in the builder. No sign-up to try it; 14 days free to run it live.

By the end of this meetingThe team has implemented, tested and standardized an improvement and reported it to senior management.

Built so the kaizen event (one-day version) ends on time, with everyone in it.

Updates stay short
65 minutes of updates with a visible clock. In a video call the speaker is spotlighted and the room is muted, so nobody talks over them.
Discussion with a clock
90 minutes of open floor with a countdown everyone can see, and a talk-balance meter so the loudest voice doesn't take all of it.
A break that ends
Cameras pause and the timer keeps running, so the break finishes on time and everyone comes back together.
Ideas from every phone
Everyone types at once and ideas land on the shared screen together. The quiet person's idea gets the same space as everyone else's.
A vote the whole room sees
One tap each on a phone, live bars on the screen. A tick shows who has voted, never what they chose.
It ends in a decision
Capture the decision and its owner with one click while it's said. It lands in the summary, word for word.

How to run it

1Prepare well beforehand: pick a scope the team can finish and link it to strategy.

2Open with training on principles, then go to the gemba to walk the process, collect data and find root causes.

3Collect improvement ideas from the whole team and vote on which to implement.

4Implement, test and standardize the change, measuring the result honestly.

5Report out to senior management and schedule follow-up audits so results last.

6Avoid marathon sessions that burn people out; take real breaks.

Questions about the kaizen event (one-day version)

How long is a kaizen event?

The Lean Enterprise Institute describes kaizen workshops commonly lasting five days, with the report-out mid-day on the last day. An LEI Lean Post article discusses running a week of kaizen in one day, which this template does; to run the full week, spread these blocks across days.

What are the stages of a kaizen event?

Kickoff and training, going to the gemba for data and root-cause analysis, a future-state plan and ideas, implementing and testing, a report-out to senior management, and follow-up audits at 30, 60 and 90 days (the last from a weaker source).

Why do kaizen events fail?

LEI lists little measurable impact, a poor link to strategy, results that don't last, poor preparation, too much scope and inflated results.

Kaizen event (one-day version)

Built so the kaizen event (one-day version) ends on time, with everyone in it.

Updates stay short

Discussion with a clock

A break that ends

Ideas from every phone

A vote the whole room sees

It ends in a decision

How to run it

Questions about the kaizen event (one-day version)

Built from

Related templates

Run this agenda in a minute.

Kaizen event (one-day version)

Built so the kaizen event (one-day version) ends on time, with everyone in it.

Updates stay short

Discussion with a clock

A break that ends

Ideas from every phone

A vote the whole room sees

It ends in a decision

How to run it

Questions about the kaizen event (one-day version)

Built from

Related templates

Run this agenda in a minute.