Continuous improvement means making small improvements on a regular basis instead of only

large improvements farther apart in time.

Continuous improvement in Japanese is ‘Kaizen.’ Many organizations conduct regular Kaizen

meetings in order to discuss potential improvements.
 Potential improvements go through the PDCA cycle, which stands for ‘Plan’, ‘Do’, ‘Check’, and
‘Act’. The PDCA cycle is also known as the Deming cycle.

The first part of the ‘Plan’ step in PDCA is to develop a problem statement. Good problem
statements contain detailed information such as the amount of time a process currently takes.
In the second part of the ‘Plan’ step, you develop an objective statement, which establishes a
target, such as the amount of time you need a process to take. The objective statement should
also include a plan to achieve the target.

In the ‘Do’ step of PDCA, you implement the plan and measure the results.
In the ‘Check’ step you analyze the results to see if you reached the objective.

In the final step – ‘Act’ – you document successful changes in the Standard Operating
Procedures and continue monitor the process to ensure it remains in place. Part of the ‘Act’ step
is to look for additional ways to improve, which means the cycle begins again.
A Lean culture is one in which everyone is committed to applying Lean principles.

There are six characteristics of a Lean culture. The first characteristic is a long-term focus, which
sometimes means making small short-term sacrifices for benefits in the long-term.
The second characteristic of Lean culture is respect for people. Input from all associates must be
valued in order to ensure everyone remains committed to implementing Lean principles.

‘Sharpen the axe’ is the third characteristic of a Lean culture, such as taking the time to achieve
consensus and training. It is about ensuring that everyone puts full effort into implementing the
decisions made.
The fourth characteristic of Lean culture is ‘Go there and see.’ It is based on the principle that
the best way to understand a problem is to see it in person.
The fifth characteristic of Lean culture is to be a learning organization, which means that
mistakes are viewed as opportunities for learning rather than placing blame.
The final characteristic of a Lean culture is that everyone continuously looks for ways to
eliminate waste.