Kaizen Sessions Duke Rohe, drohe@pdq.net

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Kaizen is a small improvement; a little like me!

Do you want your department to be one of these!

Would you like…?

  A culture with a bulldog mentality about improvement

  Staff interested in making a difference   Ideas implemented from staff at alarming rates

–  In the late 80’s Japanese workers averaged 36 ideas per employee per year. Americans: 1 idea every 8 years.

  What is the idea rate in your department?

Why don’t we have more ideas?

  No expectation from leadership that improvement is part of everyone’s job.

  No mechanism to receive and implement ideas

  No assurance from the employee that they won’t feel ridiculed after submission.

  No appreciation for the ‘small’ idea.

What is Kaizen • Japanese term for small incremental improvement.

• Employee generated and tested

• Management supported

It’s a mindset that everything is a candidate for improvement. Okidata, (a Japanese printer manufacturer) averaged 1000 ideas per employee one year.

Staff Management

Wouldn’t it make more sense if all the staff were patching holes in their system!

Improvement is traditionally management’s responsibility

Kaizen thinking: improvement is everybody’s responsibility

First wave of idea cards in Outpatient Pharmacy

What is a Kaizen Session?

 A series of 15-minute weekly meetings which enlists the entire workforce to focus and generate ideas around an aspect of improvement.

Goals of the Sessions

  Induce total workforce contribution then compliance around improvement

  Empower staff to generate implement-able ideas

  Continually improve the work environment   Grow trust between peers and with

management

Needed for an idea-friendly environment

1.  Mechanism to collect ideas (idea cards) 2.  Mechanism to evaluate and implement ideas

(evaluation forms) 3.  Mechanism to groom ideas (test for the best

filter) 4.  Mechanism to acknowledge contribution

(before/after form) 5.  Mechanism to stimulate idea generation (Kaizen

sessions)

1. Idea Card in every pocket

Anatomy of a Kaizen series

  Pick an improvement ‘theme’ or view for everyone to focus on – Week 1: Introduce theme – Week 2: Request Action around theme – Week 3: Share Feedback from the Action – Week 4: Perform Evaluation or commitment to

a collective agreement from action.

Anatomy of a Kaizen Session (up to 4 Sessions in a Series)

  Icebreaker or change opener (2 min)   Kaizen lesson (2 min)   Output sharing (3 min)   Lay down an assignment challenge (2 min)   ‘Can I count on you’ commitment (1 min)

•  Note 5 minutes is used in getting everyone together

How small can a Kaizen be?

  If it saves .6 of a second, it’s worth considering

Kaizen formula:

idea

+

implementation

=

innovation

Outpatient Pharmacy Improvement # ___ Implementation Date _______ Process Description: Manning the front desk and filling scripts.

__ Error Prevention __ Streamlining X_ Delay Reduction __ Error Detection X_ Friendlier Service __ Culture Builder __ Control __ Cost Effective __ $$ Increased __ Alarm __ Faster Cycle

Before Improvement: (what was happening)

Patients always asked what to make their checks payable to, slowing them down from writing their checks ahead of the transaction. Staff also asked for the drivers license which also took extra time for them to search and show it

After Improvement: (how it was fixed) This is an ‘I did it’ kaizen. In place, gaining benefit as we speak. Hopefully there is a professional (keep the color highlight) replacement. Saves 30 seconds per transaction for those patients who don’t know to do this already.

Measurement (how and frequency):

Change Sustainer: (owner name)

Visual Control Theme

Get the information as close to the point of action as possible !

Kaizen Themes

  Red Tagging (getting rid of clutter)   Visual Control (instructions in the workplace)   Better (any small improvement)   Benchmark (adopt other industry service)   Clarity (communication without confusion)   Pit Stop (streamlining critical activity)   Service Supreme (using our best experience as our

standard)

Receiving/Nurturing Ideas

1.  Idea Formation 2.  Idea Qualification 3.  Idea Evaluation 4.  Idea Implementation 5.  Idea Celebration 6.  Idea Collection

More Kaizen Themes

  Do Right Things (effectiveness)   Do Things Right (efficiency)   Do Things Better (improve)   Do Away With Things (cut)   Do Things Others Do Well (copy)   Do What No Other Is Doing (unbeatable)   Do What Can’t Be Done (incredible)

Celebrate/Showcase Kaizens

  Keep Count   Brag on Owner   Before/After Shots   Approximate Time Value   Ideal: Bonus points in annual review

What Kind Of Mind Creates