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Publications

We have authored and continue to publish a number of white papers and articles on topics of interest to business professionals. Please visit this page often for our latest publications in the areas of Leadership, Strategy and Operational Effectiveness, including Lean and Activity Based Management.
White Papers by Kaizen Solutions Inc.

The Six Myths of Standardized Work

How to avoid the traps when developing Standardized Work

There are many myths regarding standardized work in the world outside of Toyota. It is frustrating to see the amount of time and effort wasted by companies that fall into one or more of these myth traps and attempt to create a system based upon them. We will attempt to debunk these six myths about standardized work so that your company’s efforts can be directed as effectively as possible towards the goal of continuous process improvement.

What is 5S Really All About?

If You Think It's Just About Housekeeping, Think Again!

As with many Toyota Production System (TPS) or "lean" manufacturing tools, companies are increasingly moving to implement 5S within their operations. For many firms, 5S becomes the starting point for a lean conversion and even companies interested in "experimenting" with lean usually choose 5S as a preferred entry point for getting their feet wet.

Driving Performance from Strategy

 Why Operational Effectiveness Alone is Not Enough

Today, more than ever, the quest for productivity, quality, and speed has spawned a significant number of tools and techniques: Lean Manufacturing or Service; Business Process Improvement; Six Sigma; Total Quality Management, etc. Although the operational improvements resulting from these practices have often been dramatic and impressive, many companies remain frustrated by their inability to translate those gains into superior profitability. This white paper examines why this might be so.

Creating a Goal Oriented Atmosphere

Executive Summary

Goals are often proclaimed not only prematurely, but without the proper
environment in place to promote their achievement. Goal setting is a useful and
often necessary activity to practice and it can give a firm a greater sense of
direction as well as a standing challenge to overcome. When a goal is accomplished, whether it
be long or short term in nature, the firm gains in two ways. First, the accomplishment of a goal
represents forward progress. This represents a corporate gain for the firm. The second
significant way that a firm gains as a result of the accomplishment of a goal is through the
improved sense of pride, momentum, confidence and in some cases teamwork, within the
people involved.