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Leading continuous improvement (Kaizen) activities

URN: SEMBIT405
Business Sectors (Suites): Business Improvement Techniques Suite 4
Developed by: Enginuity
Approved on: 2023

Overview

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This standard covers the competences required for leading continuous improvement (Kaizen) activities in the workplace.  It involves approving the plan for the Kaizen process for the agreed work area/activity, to include plan, do, check, act, and to agree quantifiable objectives and targets for the improvement activity.  The activities undertaken will include the identification of all forms of waste, and problems or conditions within the work area or activity where improvements can be made.  You will need to focus on leading the improvement activities which would give business benefits such as reduced product cost, increased capacity and/or flexibility, improved safety, improved regulatory compliance, improved quality, improved customer service, improvements to working practices and procedures, reduction in lead time and reduction/elimination of waste.

You will also be required to lead the production of changes to standard operating procedures (SOPs), which could include cleaning of equipment, maintenance of equipment, health and safety practices and procedures, process procedures, manufacturing operations and quality improvements.

Your responsibilities will require you to comply with organisational policy and procedures for the activities undertaken, and to report any problems that you cannot solve, or that are outside your responsibility, to the relevant authority.  You will be expected to take full responsibility for your own actions within the activity, and for the quality and accuracy of the work that you carry out.

Your underpinning knowledge will provide a good understanding of the Kaizen activity and the area in which you are working, and will provide an informed approach to the techniques and procedures used.  You will need to understand the Kaizen principles and their application, in adequate depth to provide a sound basis for carrying out the activities to the required criteria.

Applying and advising on safe working practices will be a key issue throughout.

Performance criteria

You must be able to:

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  1. work safely at all times, complying with health and safety and other relevant regulations, directives and guidelines
  2. evaluate and discuss what improvements can be made within the work area or activity
  3. agree objectives and targets for the Kaizen activity
  4. produce the plan for the Kaizen process to the agreed work area/activity
  5. lead the carrying out of the Kaizen activity within the chosen work area/activity
  6. lead a structured waste elimination activity, based on the identified wastes, problems or conditions
  7. lead the production of and approve changes to standard operating procedures (SOPs), or other approved documentation that will sustain the improvements resulting from the Kaizen activity
  8. agree calculated measures of performance for quality, cost and delivery
  9. approve the calculations and lead the development, implementation and monitoring of a visual representation of the optimum resources required for a process based on customer demand
  10. evaluate comparisons of the agreed work area/activity before and after the Kaizen activity to confirm improvements using key performance indicators

Knowledge and Understanding

You need to know and understand:

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  1. how to work safely at all times, complying with health and safety and other relevant regulations, directives and guidelines
  2. how a work area/activity is selected for the Kaizen activity
  3. how to plan the resources and time needed to carry out the agreed activity
  4. the principles for the deployment of Kaizen (such as where a culture focuses on sustained continuous improvement, aiming at eliminating waste in all systems and processes in the organisation and supply chain)
  5. the eight wastes  and how to eliminate them
  6. problem solving and root cause analysis
  7. the importance of understanding the process/activity under review, and how this will affect the quality of the problem solving
  8. the application of the Deming cycle (plan, do, check, act)
  9. how to carry out a Kaizen activity and establish measurable improvements
  10. how to distinguish facts from opinions in order to identify improvement actions
  11. how improvements to the process are achieved by engaging the knowledge and experience of the people involved in the process
  12. how to encourage people to identify potential improvements
  13. how to evaluate improvement ideas in order to select those that are to be pursued
  14. how to set quantifiable targets and objectives
  15. how to produce/propose the creation of or changes to standard operating procedures (SOPs) or other approved documentation
  16. the techniques used to visually communicate the work of the Kaizen activity to participants and others
  17. the application of the business' key measures of competitiveness (such   as measures of quality, cost, delivery (QCD), delivered right first time, delivery schedule achievement, people productivity, stock turns, overall equipment effectiveness, value added per person, floor space utilisation) and the sources of information
  18. how the cycle time of a process can be defined.
  19. how to calculate the required production rate for a process by using a calculation (such as Takt time)
  20. how to calculate the optimal resources (such as people, equipment, facilities, materials) required for a process based on customer demand
  21. the techniques used to distribute work content to balance cycle times to the rate of customer demand, and how to visually represent it (such as line balance, process displays)
  22. the extent of your own authority, and to whom you should report to in the event of problems that you cannot resolve

Scope/range

Scope Performance

1.    Lead the activities within your area of responsibility to include all of the following:

    1. set out an communicate the purpose of the improvement activities
    2. involve the team in planning how the improvement activity will be achieved
    3. ensure each team member has individual objectives and understands how these objectives contribute to the overall improvement objective
    4. provide advice and support the team to achieve both team and individual improvement objectives
    5. motivate the team to present their own improvement ideas
    6. encourage the team and/or individuals to take the lead where appropriate
    7. agree the implementation of the improvement ideas
    8. negotiate any physical and/or financial resources required to implement the improvement activity (where appropriate)
    9. monitor the progress of improvement activities
    10. deal with any organisational problems identified during the improvement activity

 

2.    Confirm and lead improvements within the working area/activity which cover three of the following:

    1. reduction in cost
    2. improved health, safety and/or working environment
    3. improved quality
    4. improved regulatory compliance
    5. improvements to working practices
    6. reduction in lead time
    7. reduction in waste and/or energy usage
    8. improved customer service
    9. improved resource utilisation

 

 

3.    Confirm and lead improvements, which cover three of the following:

    1. cleaning of equipment or work area
    2. maintenance of equipment
    3. health and safety
    4. process procedures
    5. manufacturing operations or work area operations
    6. quality system
    7. regulatory compliance systems

 

4.    Agree calculations for one of the following quality measures:

    1. not right first time (as a percentage or as parts per million (PPM))
    2. company-specific quality measure

 

5.    Agree calculations for one of the following measures:

  1. delivery schedule achievement
  2. company-specific delivery or service measure

 

6.    Agree calculations for one of the following cost measures:

    1. parts per operator hour (PPOH)
    2. production volume
    3. value added per person (VAPP)
    4. overall equipment effectiveness (OEE)
    5. stock turns
    6. floor space utilization (FSU)
    7. cost breakdown (such as labour, material, energy and overhead)
    8. company-specific cost measure

 

7.    Show business improvements, using one of the following key performance indicators:

    1. not right first time (as a percentage or as parts per million (PPM))
    2. company-specific quality measure
    3. delivery schedule achievement
    4. company-specific delivery measure
    5. parts per operator hour (PPOH)
    6. production volume
    7. value added per person (VAPP)
    8. overall equipment effectiveness (OEE)
    9. stock turns
    10. floor space utilization (FSU)
    11. cost breakdown (such as labour, material, energy and overhead)
    12. company-specific cost measure


Scope Knowledge

Values

Behaviours

Skills

Glossary

Links To Other NOS

External Links

Version Number

3

Indicative Review Date

2028

Validity

Current

Status

Original

Originating Organisation

Enginuity

Original URN

SEMBIT405

Relevant Occupations

Associate Professionals and Technical Occupations, Business and Finance Associate Professionals, Business Management, Business, Administration and Law.

SOC Code

2127

Keywords

Engineering; business; improvement; techniques; continuous improvement; kaizen; benchmarking; objectives; targets; operating procedures