Kaizen is the Japanese word for improvement, or “change for the better.” It encompasses the philosophy of continuous, incremental improvement of an activity. It is used in many forms. Here we are going to look at Kaizen events, where an individual or a team uses a specific approach to tear down and rebuild a process or product so that it functions more efficiently, with less waste and more value.
Kaizen events typically take place at five different levels. (A Kaizen event is also known as a Kaikaku.)