Kaizen blitz usage at mc cormick By Kari Lamont

1. Kaizen
Process
Blitz
Kari Lamont
Baltimore Lean Startup
August 21, 2012

2. Before
Our
PI
Program
Work
and
problem
solving
were
traditional
“If it’s not broken, don’t fix it”
“There’s no time to think about improvement”
“But that’s the way we’ve always done it”
“We tried that 5 years ago and it didn’t work”
“Let’s add an audit or metric to monitor”
“Let’s form a long term project team to evaluate”

3. Another
Approach
The Process Blitz

4. Process
Blitz
O A Blitz is a facilitated approach to rapid problem solving
comprised of 3 Phases:
O PLAN:
O Agree to a charter
O Identify scope of process needing improvement
O Select a representative team
O Schedule 1-5 full days, scope dependent
O IMPLEMENT:
O Map the current process so that everyone understands it end-to-end
O Utilize map and other problem-solving tools to identify issues/gaps/waste and
potential solutions
O Present findings to stakeholders
O Implement/trial proposed solutions during the blitz where possible
O Identify outstanding action items, longer term projects, and communication/
change management plans
O FOLLOW-UP:
O 6 weeks post-blitz, meet to resolve/evaluate process changes 4

5. Sample
Charter
Background:
Paragraph – why are we doing this blitz
Scope:
Process starts at: clearly define beginning
Process ends at: clearly define endpoint
Objectives/Deliverables:
To increase productivity/decrease errors…… by x%….
Improve communication
Develop RACI model
Follow-up Owner:
Team Members:
Facilitator:
Stakeholders:
Prework:
Gather baseline metrics
Solicit input from extended team members
Observe process in action
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6. Sample
Map
Current State Map
O On this map:
O Pink = current state process step
O Blue = waste/ pain/ opportunity
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O Purple = swim lanes / handoffs

7. Sample
Blitz
Topics
and
Accomplishments
O Processes O Results
O Global Competitive Action O Time savings
O Internal Orders O Elimination of redundancies
O Capital Forecasting O Clarification of roles and
O Data Workflows responsibilities
O Budget Generation O Simplification &
O Speed to Market
Standardization
O Enhanced use of technology
O Interco Billing
O Improved controls
O Pricing Actions
O Short Term Disability
O Invoice Discrepancies
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8. Keys
to
Process
Blitz
Success
O Blitz ownership
O Stakeholder (leadership) support
O No-blame environment
O Establishment of clear objectives and scope
O Objective facilitation
O Flexibility
O Publicity for continued momentum
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