4. Kaizen Event Team Roles Page 1

Kaizen Event Team Roles

Overview In this module we’re going to introduce some key kaizen team member roles as we prepare to learn more about planning and executing successful kaizen events in future videos. But before we go any further, I want to explain that the coming modules of this course are meant to teach you and your organization how to plan, prepare, and execute a kaizen event. In other words, we’re going to offer some tips for setting things up for success. Now, with this said, I’d like to encourage you to listen to what we have to say while also thinking about how you’ll adapt and roll this out into your organization. To be sure, there’s more than one way to plan and execute a successful kaizen event so don’t be afraid to experiment with the techniques we explore in this course. OK, let’s get started by learning about some key kaizen event roles. Kaizen Team Leader

The first role is the kaizen team leader. This person’s main responsibility is to facilitate the event while also developing people. The kaizen team leader will also manage the activities of the kaizen team while also ensuring the kaizen team is using the right tool for the job.

The kaizen team leader will also help the team stay focused on the objective of the event. Finally, the team leader will help the team prepare for all event report outs which we’ll learn more about later in the course. Process Owner The next role is the process owner. This is the person responsible for the area the event is scheduled in. This might be the production manager in a factory or a nurse responsible for that section of the hospital. No matter whom the process owner is they must be an integral part of the kaizen team. Senior Manager

4. Kaizen Event Team Roles Page 2

Next, the senior manager of the facility must be involved in the planning and execution of the event. This might be the general manager of the facility or the senior vice president of the office. Again, like the process owner, this senior leader must be involved in the planning and execution of the event. Kaizen Coach Next up is the kaizen coach. This person’s job is to teach and coach continuous improvement techniques during the event while also challenging the team by asking things like “why?” and “what if…?” over and over. The kaizen coach will also help the team remove major obstacles and barriers by working closely with the team leader, process owner, and senior manager. The kaizen coach will also serve as the team leader’s support system before, during, and after the event. The kaizen coach can either be an external consultant or an internal expert. But we strongly encourage companies to have a coach since the role of team leader and kaizen coach are not the same. Kaizen Team Members Finally, the last and arguably most important roles of the kaizen event are the actual team members which will include both direct and indirect labor. We’ll discuss how to select a strong kaizen team in an upcoming module. Now, depending on the way your organization is setup you may decide to add additional key kaizen event roles such a co-team leader who works closely with the kaizen team leader. This is also an excellent way to develop future team leaders.