The Kaizen Newspaper

 
In this article I would like to take you through a useful tool called
the kaizen newspaper.

The kaizen newspaper is a visual management tool for summarising and grouping a set of
improvement actions that you intend to make happen in a particular work area.

What is it primarily used for ?

The Kaizen Newspaper is mainly used to facilitate the following:

For each continuous improvement activity the above detail needs to be added

For example 

Under the action column you may write “ Review storage system of files”,under the Who
column you may write “Graham Ross” , and under the when column you may write
“10am-12pm”

At this stage the outcome column would be left blank.

Typically this is filled in after a review of the actions has taken place.

i.e. if Graham Ross was charged as a member of the team to go and review the storage
of files between 10am and 12pm we may have a review meeting at 1pm where Graham
would give us an update of how he got on.

We would then update the outcome column with the fruits of
Graham’s labour

Outcome – Could not be bothered. (Just joking)

Obviously there would be an action, who, when, outcome entry for every continuous
improvement activity that we come up with.

Hopefully you get the idea.

As well as using paper flip charts by being a bit creative, you can help save the planet.

I’ve made up a foldable A4 kaizen newspaper from laminated white card that folds out
to A1 size and is re-useable.(see below)

I’ve also recently started to use “magic
white board” on a roll which was featured
on Dragons Den. It is also re-useable.

www.magicwhiteboard.co.uk

When, where and why do you use a kaizen newspaper ?

One reason for using a kaizen newspaper is
when we are running a Rapid Improvement Workshop / Kaizen Blitz Event.

It is a great way to track the teams action throughout the few days that you have to
make improvements.

That said ,it can also be very effective in
helping run day to day activities in any
operational area.

Only actions associated with the improvement
of the area should be put on the paper.


i.e. It is not a personal wish list but a process improvement list associated
with eliminating one or more of the seven classic wastes.

Typically the kaizen newspaper needs to be situated in a focal point where everyone involved
knows it’s location.

The Kaizen Newspaper works best when we use it to assign short bursts of activity.

i.e. We assign a few hours worth of activity ,review that activity and
then write up a new kaizen newspaper for the next set of actions.

This helps keep momentum going and makes the newspaper a living document
that people actually use.

Who is responsible for creating the kaizen newspaper

There needs to be an owner for the kaizen newspaper. This typically should be the groups
team leader , a team facilitator or a person within the team that has agreed to co-ordinate
the improvement work. They need to organise regular reviews of activity and make a
judgement call as to when to write up the next kaizen newspaper.

Summary

The Kaizen Newspaper is a very straightforward tool .Although it is very simple it’s power
is often overlooked. When used well, it can help facilitate a real buzz and a sense of
contributing to the overall good within a group.

You can download a kaizen newspaper template here:

Kaizen Newspaper Template

Hope this helps.

Best regards,

Graham Ross

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