Kaizen Event and Value Stream Mapping as Continuous Improvement Tools

Continuous improvement tools can support the Kaizen or radical change mindset.

Kaizen Event
A Kaizen event is a structured problem-solving approach that contributes to purposeful continuous improvement within any organization. DMAIC is a problem-solving approach to facilitate continuous improvement, as shown in the following figure.

The primary tasks of the various steps of the DMAIC cycle are:

• Define:
  • Describe symptoms and define the problem.
  • Ensure stakeholders agree on the scope of the problem.
• Measure:
  • Collect data and facts about the problem.
  • Validate the data.
• Analyze:
  • Analyze and structure the data.
  • Define and test hypotheses regarding the problem.
• Improve:
  • Define alternative solutions.
  • Decide on and implement improvements.
• Control:
  • Anchor the change in the organization.
  • Share lessons learned.

You cannot solve a problem unless you first Define it. Defining a problem includes describing the current situation and why it is not acceptable. Therefore, you should ensure the onboard stakeholders agree with the statement defining the problem. You should then Measure the variables that can influence the problem by collecting the related data and facts. It is vital to ensure that the data is correct. The next step is to analyze the gathered data. Such an analysis includes structuring and visualizing the data into a format that will allow you to understand what the data is all about and convert it into information. You can then use the information to test hypotheses regarding the problem. Having understood the dynamics of the problem, you can now move on to the Improve phase, which defines potential solutions to the problem. Once a number of solutions are generated, decide the improvement to implement. After ensuring whether a particular solution works, embed the solution into the organization’s way of working in the Control phase, and share any lessons learned.

Value Stream Mapping

Value Stream Mapping (VSM) is a tool to gain insight into the workflow of a process. It is used to identify both value-adding and non-value-adding activities in a process stream while providing insight for optimizing the process chain.

The various steps of doing VSM are:

TIMWOODS is a short form to memorize the eight wastes: Transportation, Inventory, Motion, Waiting, Overprocessing, Overproduction, Defects, and Non-Utilized Skills.

Note: Refer to the DevOps Fundamentals course for the details on the eight wastes.

The following figure shows an example of a value stream map for software development.

Source: DASA DevOps Professional – Enable and Scale coursebook.