Assignment:
After doing some research on Kaizen events, you are to perform a Kaizen Event on a process within a business. If you have a process at your current place of business, you may perform your Kaizen on that process. Otherwise, go to a business and observe a process. (Fast food operations provide some excellent, easy to view examples of processes; especially the making of a Subway sandwich or a Chipotle burrito.)
Get a very good sense of the process as well as an understanding of the reasons for why things are done way they are done. It may also be helpful to watch the video "What does Kaizen and emptying a dishwasher have in common?" referenced in this Module's lecture.
[important] Before attempting this assignment, be sure to familiarize yourself with the 4 Steps for a Kaizen Event outlined in this Module's lecture.
Deliverables:
Following the 4 Steps for a Kaizen Event (outlined in this Module's lecture), map the current process. You may find the SmartArt tools within PowerPoint helpful for this step.
As you study the current process, look for places to eliminate waste and improve the process.
Prepare a report that includes your map of the current process, recommendations for improvement, and a map for your improved process. Note: Your improvements cannot involve capital investments. The improvements must be to the process, not purchasing machinery etc. to make the process more efficient. Small purchases are allowed; for example purchasing carts to move tools.
Step 4 is very important. How will you solicit buy-in from all related parties?
Your final product should be in the form of a concise PowerPoint presentation.