SAI6 Kaizen Workshop change for better
What is Kaizen?
Kaizen (改善) is a Japanese word that means “change for the better”. When used in business application, kaizen refers to any activity that allows for continuous improvement across all levels of employees. Kaizen focuses on the elimination of wasteful processes and business functions while delivering small incremental improvements. The cycle of kaizen activities is defined as “Plan → Do → Check → Act.” By deploying these strategies, companies can see an overall improvement in productivity.
Image Source: Japan Product
Kaizen is about having a growth mindset, and knowing that there is always a better way to work — a more human way to work. With kaizen, anything that is difficult or seen as a problem is actually a great opportunity for improvement and overall growth. This concept is closely aligned with the agile manifesto. The first line of the agile manifesto states “We are finding better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it.” That sentence is written in the present tense because agile is a search; it is a journey we all share. With any process we currently use to achieve that agility, it is in our collective best interest to remember that it is temporary and tolerated until we find a better, faster, simpler way to achieve our shared destiny.
How will we use Kaizen at PF?
Here at PF, “Kaizen Champions need to be identified for ownership” and will be tasked with the continuous improvement of scrum teams. More specifically, we empower teams to change their work process in a way that is meaningful to them and not force new process improvements upon them.
How do our meetings work?
Every two weeks the champs get together to share their opinions and observations about our current processes. The key focus is to be on pain points for the teams, brainstorming ideas to improve processes, and reflecting on recent changes we have rolled out. The champs get value from having a space to share and discuss struggles their teams are facing. These discussions result in shared tips and tricks that members can immediately bring back to their teams, or a discovery that most teams are experiencing the same problem. This discovery generally means that there is a department-wide issue for the Kaizen Champs to tackle. Another extremely valuable part of our meetings is the time we have to take a retrospective look at our changes and find ways to iterate on them. Each meeting is different depending on immediate needs of the team and which step of “Plan → Do → Check → Act” we are in. Anyone is empowered to join and attend Kaizen Champ sessions.
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What are some things we have implemented based on Kaizen Champ discussions?
In the first six months of meeting, the Champions have had a large impact on process across the organization. Some of our biggest accomplishments include:
1. Nonverbal signals — Encouraging participation while keeping meetings on track by using hand gestures.
2. Soft code cutoff — Ensuring a steadier burn-down by targeting to get trouble tickets to “In Review” earlier.
3. Vigilante — Keeping teams on track by rotating a single interruptible person on the team.
