Kaizen System Helps Communicate Quality

Building upon my last post, I thought it would be a good idea to write a whole series of blog posts on how companies communicate quality internally. After all, isn’t that what ISO 9001 is all about—communication?

Because all of these areas were highlighted during our recent ISO 9001:2008 Certification audit—and, well, because I work here—I’m going to show you another one of Bizmanualz’s methods for communicating quality. (But as I continue in this series, I want to hear your techniques. Email me if you’d like me to interview you and brag about your awesome quality communication methods.)

If you’re in the quality field, you probably know what Kaizen methodology is. But for those like me, who had no clue, a Kaizen is the Japanese philosophy that focuses on continual improvement (thanks, Wikipedia. Also, check out this article from TheEconomist.com via @JeffreyJDavis.).

Bizmanualz Kaizen Forms

For Bizmanualz, a Kaizen is an improvement that we record, track, and follow up on to ensure effectiveness and sustainability. Kaizens can also be classified into corrective actions, preventive actions, or simple corrections.

In an effort to get the whole staff involved, we created a spreadsheet that tracks how many each employee has done for the month (the goal is two each) and the running total for the month. We also post our Kaizen forms in our office kitchen to communicate all of these improvements to the employees.

Every time we put up a new Kaizen, we also take one down and follow up to make sure the change actually resulted in a sustained improvement. Our Managing Director, Chris Anderson, even implemented an incentive system: At the end of each month, he rolls the die and one lucky Kaizen submitter receives $50! The more Kaizens implemented, the better the chance of winning.

Could your company implement something similar? How about department-wide? Let me know other ways your company is working on improving the communication process.

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About Bizmanualz
Bizmanualz has been at the forefront of deploying business best practices since 1995 delivering Policies, Procedures and Forms; quality systems implementation; and strategic business process improvement to help business owners achieve the growth and expansion they envision.

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Originally published in 2009 by Bizmanualz, Inc. under the title Kaizen System Helps Communicate Quality. All rights reserved. Reproduction permitted with attribution only. www.bizmanualz.com