OM2

QUALITY TOOLKIT FOR MANAGERS

UNIT V
Quality Improvement Techniques
Kaizen (continuous improvement)
• Kaizen is an approach to creating continuous improvement
based on the idea that small, ongoing positive changes can
reap significant improvements.
• Typically, it is based on cooperation and commitment and
stands in contrast to approaches that use radical or top-
down changes to achieve transformation.
• Kaizen is core to lean manufacturing and the Toyota Way.
• It was developed in the manufacturing sector to lower
defects, eliminate waste, boost productivity, encourage
worker purpose and accountability, and promote
innovation.
 The Kaizen Process
• The continuous cycle of Kaizen activity has six
phases:
1. Identify a problem or opportunity
2. Analyze the process
3. Develop an optimal solution
4. Implement the solution
5. Study the results and adjust
6. Standardize the solution
 Benefits of Kaizen
• Beyond the obvious benefit of improving processes; Kaizen engenders teamwork and ownership.
• Teams take responsibility for their work and are able to make improvements to enhance their
own working experience.
• Most people want to be successful and proud of the work that they do and Kaizen helps them to
achieve this while benefitting the organization.

A Gallup poll of US workers in 2015 showed that just 32% of employees were engaged. A
majority of employees (50.8%) were “not engaged”, while 17.2% were “actively disengaged”. One
of the main benefits of Kaizen is getting employees actively involved and engaged with the
company.
• Having more engaged workers leads to more efficient processes, lower turnover, and higher rates
of innovation.
• Engaged employees feel that they have an impact on the company’s performance and are more
likely to try out new ideas. Additionally, organizations with more engaged employees can achieve
higher competitiveness, enhance customer satisfaction, and have an improvement culture of
solving problems through teamwork.
 Examples of Kaizen
• Toyota is arguably the most famous for its use of Kaizen, but other
companies have used the approach successfully. Here are three
examples:
• Lockheed Martin. The aerospace company is a well-known proponent
of Kaizen. Through the use of Kaizen, it has successfully reduced
manufacturing costs, reduced inventory and cut delivery time.
• Ford Motor Company. When lean devotee Alan Mulally became CEO of
Ford in 2006, the auto giant was on the brink of bankruptcy. Mulally
used Kaizen to execute one of the most famous corporate turnarounds
in history.
• Pixar Animation Studios. Pixar has taken a continuous improvement
model that reduced risks of expensive movie failure by using quality
control checks and iterative processes.
 Six Sigma
• Six Sigma (6σ) is a set of techniques and tools for process
improvement. It was introduced by American engineer Bill
Smith while working at Motorola in 1986.
•  Jack Welch made it central to his business strategy at General
Electric in 1995.
• A six sigma process is one in which 99.99966% of all
opportunities to produce some feature of a part are statistically
expected to be free of defects.
• The term Six Sigma (capitalized because it was written that way
when registered as a Motorola trademark on December 28, 1993)
originated from terminology associated with statistical modeling
of manufacturing processes.
 DMAIC
• The five steps of DMAIC

• Define the system, the voice of the customer and their requirements, and the project
goals, specifically.
• Measure key aspects of the current process and collect relevant data; calculate the 'as-is'
Process Capability.
• Analyze the data to investigate and verify cause-and-effect relationships. Determine what
the relationships are, and attempt to ensure that all factors have been considered. Seek
out root cause of the defect under investigation.
• Improve or optimize the current process based upon data analysis using techniques such
as design of experiments, poka yoke or mistake proofing, and standard work to create a
new, future state process. Set up pilot runs to establish process capability.
• Control the future state process to ensure that any deviations from the target are
corrected before they result in defects. Implement control systems such as statistical
process control, production boards, visual workplaces, and continuously monitor the
process. This process is repeated until the desired quality level is obtained.
 5S
• A 5S framework is a critical part of the Kaizen
system and establishes an ideal physical
workplace. The 5Ses focus on creating visual
order, organization, cleanliness and
standardization to improve profitability,
efficiency, service and safety. Below are the
original Japanese 5Ses and their common
English translations.
• Seiri/Sort (organize) -- Separate necessary workplace items
from unnecessary ones and remove unnecessary items.
• Seiton/Set in order (create orderliness) -- Arrange items to
allow for easy access in the way that makes the most sense
for work.
• Seiso/Shine (cleanliness) -- Keep the workspace clean and
tidy.
• Seiketsu/Standardize (standardized cleaning) -- Systematize
workplace cleanup best practices.
• Shitsuke/Sustain (discipline) -- Keep the effort going.
 Poka Yoke
• The term Poka Yoke (poh-kah yoh-keh) was coined in Japan
during the 1960s by Shigeo Shingo, an industrial engineer at
Toyota.
• Shingo also created and formalized Zero Quality Control – a
combination of Poka Yoke techniques to correct possible
defects and source inspection to prevent defects.
• Poka Yokes ensure that the right conditions exist before a
process step is executed, and thus preventing defects from
occurring in the first place.
• Where this is not possible, Poka Yokes perform a detective
function, eliminating defects in the process as early as possible.
 Benefits of poka-yoke implementation
A typical feature of poka-yoke solutions is that they don't let an error in a
process happen. Other advantages include:
• Less time spent on training workers;
• Elimination of many operations related to quality control;
• Unburdening of operators from repetitive operations;
• Promotion of the work improvement-oriented approach and actions;
• A reduced number of rejects;
• Immediate action when a problem occurs;
• 100% built-in quality control;
• Preventing bad products from reaching customers;
• Detecting mistakes as they occur;
• Eliminating defects before they occur.
 When and how to use Poka Yoke?
Poka Yoke technique could be used whenever a mistake could occur or something
could be done wrong – meaning everywhere. It can be successfully applied to any
type of process in manufacturing or services industry, preventing all kinds of
errors:
• Processing error: Process operation missed or not performed per the standard
operating procedure.
• Setup error: Using the wrong tooling or setting machine adjustments incorrectly.
• Missing part: Not all parts included in the assembly, welding, or other processes.
• Improper part/item: Wrong part used in the process.
• Operations error: Carrying out an operation incorrectly; having the incorrect
version of the specification.
• Measurement error: Errors in machine adjustment, test measurement or
dimensions of a part coming in from a supplier.
 Lean Manufacturing
• Lean is a methodology to reduce waste in a
manufacturing system without sacrificing
productivity.
• The customer defines what is of value in terms
of what they would pay for the product or
service.
• Through lean management, what adds value
becomes clear by removing or reducing
everything that doesn’t add value.
 Five principles of lean manufacturing

1. Identify value from the customer's

perspective
2. Map the value stream.
3. Create flow. 
4. Establish a pull system
5. Pursue perfection with continual process
improvement, or Kaizen.
 The eight wastes of lean production
• The eight lean manufacturing mudas can be remembered
using the acronym DOWNTIME.
• Defects
• Overproduction
• Waiting
• Non-utilized talent
• Transportation
• Inventory
• Motion
• Extra-processing
 Seven lean manufacturing tools and
concepts
• Heijunka: production leveling or smoothing that seeks to produce a continuous flow of
production, releasing work to the plant at the required rate and avoiding interruptions.
• 5S: A set of practices for organizing workspaces to create efficient, effective and safe
areas for workers and which prevent wasted effort and time. 5S emphasizes organization
and cleanliness.
• Kanban: a signal used to streamline processes and create just-in-time delivery. Signals
can either be physical, such as a tag or empty bin, or electronically sent through a
system.
• Jidoka: A method that defines an outline for detecting an abnormality, stopping work
until it can be corrected, solving the problem, then investigating the root cause.
• Andon: A visual aid, such as a flashing light, that alerts workers to a problem.
• Poka-yoke: A mechanism that safeguards against human error, such as an indicator light
that turns on if a necessary step was missed, a sign given when a bolt was tightened the
correct number of times or a system that blocks a next step until all the previous steps
are completed.
• Cycle time: How long it takes to produce a part or complete a process.
 Types of Waste in Lean Manufacturing
• Mura: Unevenness, or waste due to fluctuations in demand. This
can come from customer requests, but it can also be due to an
organization adding new services and thus additional work.
• Muri: Overburden, or waste due to trying to do too much at
once. This has to do with resource allocation. When too few
people try to do too much work, they often waste time switching
from on task to another.
• Muda: Non-value-adding work, or process waste. This waste
comes as a byproduct of something else. Think about three
things: value, work that adds immediate value for a customer;
necessary waste, which are supporting activities that add value;
and unnecessary waste, activities that don’t add value.
Relationship between Muda, Mura and Muri
 Goals and Strategy of Lean Manufacturing
• Improve Quality: To stay competitive, companies can’t be complacent, but
must meet customers’ changing wants and needs. Therefore, processes must
be designed to meet their expectations and requirements. Adopting total
quality management can make quality improvement a priority.
• Eliminate Waste: Waste is bad for costs, deadlines and resources. It takes
without adding any value to a product or service.
• Reduce Time: Time is money, as the adage goes, and wasting time is
therefore wasting money. Reducing the time it takes to start and finish a
project is going to create value by adding efficiencies. Learn and apply
some time management strategies.
• Reduce Total Costs: Money is saved when a company is not wasting time,
materials and personnel on unnecessary activities. Overproduction also adds
to storage and warehousing costs. Understanding the triple constraint is the
first step to understanding cost management.
 Service Quality
• It is a combination of two words, Service and Quality where
we find emphasis on the availability of quality services to the
ultimate users.
• The term quality focuses on standard or specification that a
service generating organisation promises.
• We can’t have a clear-cut boundary for quality. Sky is the
limit for quality generation.
• Scientific inventions and innovations make the ways for the
generation of quality.
• More frequency in innovations, less gap in the process of
quality up-gradation.
 Meaning of Service Quality
• Service quality is generally viewed as the
output of the service delivery system,
especially in the case of pure service systems.
Moreover, service quality is linked to
consumer satisfaction.