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OE Tools - How To
     Understanding LEAN
     Facilitating Kaizens
     5S
     SMED
     Situational Simulation
     Using Process Maps
     Tying OE to Bottom LIne

Workforce Engagement
     Engaging the Workforce
     Praise Effort, Reward Results
     Empower Direct Reports

Process Modeling
     Process Modeling
     Simulation and Optimization

OE Strategy
     Rubberband Effect
     Facilitating Process Mapping
     Metrics Drive Gaming
     NO OE Programs on PDR
     Process Driven
     Continuous Improvement

Keys to Facilitating a Successful Kaizen

Based on experience facilitating many Kaizens, the following are some key lessons learned for ensuring a successful Kaizen. Please feel free to respond with enhancements to this list:

Definition of Kaizen Success: Getting a team of front line workers and managers to work together to generate effective impactful solutions for an operational challenge/problem. The solutions generated are sustainable due to the fact that the people who have to make it happen, own the solutions.

Leadership Team Responsibilities:

1. Define bounds of operational problem to be worked on by Kaizen team
2. Empower Kaizen participants to generate solutions
3. Define practical limits on solution space; such as budget or culture
4. Attend Kaizen kick-off and report out meetings, and show appreciation for Kaizen participant's effort
5. Execute regular follow up on action items generated from Kaizen

Guidelines for Selecting Kaizen Participants:

1. People closest to the work, with varying perspective on operational problem to be solved
2. People who are willing to both share their thoughts and respect the thoughts of other Kaizen participants
3. People who are respected by peers when they take Kaizen action items back to the rest of the team

Kaizen Agenda:

1. Clearly define scope of problem and limits on solutions space
2. Share data available that adds perspective to problem
3. Teach LEAN tools that are applicable to the problem
4. Go through problem solving process from Go and See step, through issues identification, solution generation, prioritization of solution set, and detailing out of action plans going forward

Kaizen Facilitator(s) Responsibilities:

1. Energize the Kaizen team to openly discuss the critical issues
2. Select appropriate LEAN tools to teach, based on problem to be solved and data available
3. Be prepared to SEED conversations, when appropriate, to get Kaizen team moving on issue identification, problem solving, solution generation, etc.
4. Ensure that Kaizen team follows the problem solving process
5. Have good enough crowd control skills, so as not to allow any one set of individuals to either dominate the discussion, or to withdraw from the discussion.