Kaizen’s Steps, Step Three, Change

The last step to implement Kaizen is changes. See the previous steps here and here. This step is required when the previous two cannot be done, or not effective anymore to be done. There are several components that can be changed in kaizen. A good example as described by picture below.

What makes this umbrella different from others? As we can see here, it doesn’t require any “help” to stand up. So, it doesn’t require any special place to keep it. It’s a small change, but that kaizen is. Small change is enough. By the way, I my self never think about this kind of change to umbrella until I saw it.

Let’s continue the topic. Change, as the third step of kaizen. How do we make a change? There are several “guidance” to think about making changes of existing equipment, tools or any thing around us.

Think differently. Try to think not from the usual way of thinking. We may change it by reducing its size, color, design, the way we use it, etc.

Alter feature with other, so that the new design will be much more useful.

Exchange feature of a tool from another tool. Of course we cannot change cars tire into a bike, but we can change tube of bike’s tire with tube of motorcycle’s tire.

Diversify current tools to make new ones.

Kaizen’s Steps, Step Two, Reduce

After discussing first step, now we move on the next. The second step is reduce. Basically, the focus of this step, as its name, is to reduce. What can be reduced. Many. Here are some of them.

* Part/component of the tool or anything (object of kaizen)
* Feature, that is not effective if it is still attached to the object
* Size, since it will not reduce the function
* Volume, again, since the decreasing in volume won’t reduce the function
* Weight, of course, this method is applied by many companies
* Etc, add your own list here

This second step can be done by:

# simplification of current methods,
# centralization,
# integration or many separated things into simultaneous one,
# combination of different thing into single product (see multipurpose printer, it prints, scan, fax, copy at once )
# standardization, to reduce the variability of products or methods
# etc, again, add your own list here..

In later posts, I’ll add examples of this step that are applied in real world, not just in theory, as the main purpose of this blog.