🎯
Kaizn Studio
Continuous Improvement Toolkit
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🏠 Home
📋 Lessons Learnt
🔄 SIPOC
📄 A3 Report
❓ 5 Whys
⚠️ FMEA
🗺️ Value Stream Map

Welcome to
Kaizn Studio

A practical toolkit for continuous improvement practitioners. Work through structured tools to analyse processes, surface problems, understand root causes, and drive measurable change — grounded in Lean Six Sigma principles.

Lean Six Sigma DMAIC Process Improvement Root Cause Analysis Waste Elimination
The DMAIC Framework
D
Define
Articulate the problem, project scope, customer requirements, and project goals. Use SIPOC to map high-level process boundaries.
M
Measure
Establish a baseline. Collect data on current process performance to quantify the problem. Identify key metrics and validate the measurement system.
A
Analyse
Identify and verify root causes of the problem. Use tools like 5 Whys, fishbone diagrams, and Pareto analysis to find the vital few causes.
I
Improve
Generate, test, and implement solutions that address root causes. Use A3 reports to document and communicate the improvement story.
C
Control
Sustain the gains. Use FMEA to anticipate failure, standardise new processes, and set up monitoring to prevent regression.
Your Toolkit
📋
Lessons Learnt
Capture retrospective insights from projects and post-mortems. Structured across 7 dimensions: overview, successes, challenges, root causes, learnings, actions, and impact.
Control · Reflect
🔄
SIPOC
Map Suppliers, Inputs, Process steps, Outputs, and Customers in one view. Each process step links directly to its related suppliers, inputs, outputs, and customers.
Define · Scope
📄
A3 Report
Tell the complete improvement story on one page. Covers background, current state, target state, root cause, countermeasures, implementation plan, and follow-up.
Improve · Communicate
❓
5 Whys
Drill down to the root cause of any problem by iteratively asking "why." A deceptively simple technique that surfaces systemic causes rather than surface symptoms.
Analyse · Root Cause
⚠️
FMEA
Failure Mode & Effects Analysis. Proactively identify what could go wrong, assess severity, occurrence, and detection — then prioritise risks by RPN score.
Control · Risk
🐟
Fishbone Diagram Coming Soon
Visualise cause-and-effect relationships across the 6M categories: Man, Machine, Method, Material, Measurement, and Mother Nature.
Analyse
🗺️
Value Stream Map
Visualise the flow of materials and information from supplier to customer. Identify process steps, inventory queues, wait times, and distinguish value-adding from non-value-adding activities.
Analyse · Map

What is Lean Six Sigma?

Lean Six Sigma combines two powerful methodologies: Lean, which focuses on eliminating waste and improving flow, and Six Sigma, which uses data and statistical analysis to reduce variation and defects. Together they provide a structured, evidence-based approach to making processes faster, more consistent, and more valuable to customers.

🔍
Define Value
Value is defined by the customer. Anything the customer wouldn't pay for is waste (muda). Start by understanding what truly matters.
🗺️
Map the Stream
Visualise every step in the process. Identify value-adding steps, non-value-adding but necessary steps, and pure waste to eliminate.
🌊
Create Flow
Remove barriers so work flows smoothly without stops, rework, or waiting. Flow reduces lead time and surface errors quickly.
📊
Reduce Variation
Six Sigma targets ≤3.4 defects per million opportunities. Consistent processes build customer trust and reduce hidden costs of poor quality.
🔄
Pursue Perfection
Continuous improvement never stops. Each cycle of improvement reveals further opportunities. Kaizen — small, daily improvements — compounds over time.
🎓
The Belts
White/Yellow: Awareness. Green Belt: Part-time project lead. Black Belt: Full-time improvement expert. Master Black Belt: Strategic programme leader.

The 8 Wastes (TIMWOODS)

Originally 7 wastes from the Toyota Production System, expanded to 8 with the addition of Non-utilised Talent. Use this framework to identify and eliminate activities that consume resources without adding value.

T
Transport
Unnecessary movement of materials, products or information between locations.
I
Inventory
Excess stock, WIP, or information queuing beyond immediate need.
M
Motion
Unnecessary movement by people: walking, reaching, searching for information or tools.
W
Waiting
Idle time when people, equipment or information is delayed between process steps.
O
Overproduction
Making more than needed, sooner than needed, or faster than needed by the customer.
O
Over-processing
Doing more work, steps, or quality than the customer actually requires or values.
D
Defects
Errors requiring rework, correction, scrap, or customer complaint handling.
S
Skills (Non-utilised Talent)
Failing to use the knowledge, creativity and skills of people in your organisation.
Process Tool

SIPOC Diagram

Map each process step with its linked suppliers, inputs, outputs, and customers. Add process steps then populate each row. Work from the Process column outward.

How to complete this SIPOC

1. Start with Process steps — define 4–7 high-level steps using verb + noun (e.g. "Receive request"). 2. For each step, add the Inputs required to perform it and the Outputs it produces. 3. Identify Suppliers who provide those inputs, and Customers who receive the outputs. Each row represents one process step and its directly linked elements.

🏢 Suppliers
Who provides inputs?		 📥 Inputs
What goes in?		 ⚙️ Process Step
What happens? (verb + noun)		 📤 Outputs
What is produced?		 👥 Customers
Who receives outputs?
Guidance & Common Mistakes
🏢 Suppliers
Think broadly — internal teams (HR, IT, Finance), external vendors, regulatory bodies, or automated systems. Don't confuse suppliers with customers — a team can be both.
📥 Inputs
Inputs are what's needed to run the process step — data, forms, approvals, materials. Ask: what would stop this step starting if it were missing?
⚙️ Process Steps
Use verb + noun format. Aim for 4–7 steps total. Each should represent a meaningful transformation. Avoid swimlane-level detail.
📤 Outputs
Outputs are what the step produces — not activities. Each output should be traceable to at least one customer in the same row.
👥 Customers
Can be internal (next team) or external (end users, regulators). Understanding their needs shapes what "good output" means for that step.
⚠️ Common Mistakes
Too much detail in steps · Confusing inputs with outputs · Missing internal customers · Listing activities as outputs · Starting with Suppliers not Process.
Improvement Tool

A3 Report

Tell the complete improvement story on a single structured page. The A3 format, pioneered by Toyota, forces clarity and discipline — if it doesn't fit on one page, the thinking isn't clear enough yet.

Project Title
Owner / Author
Date
Review Date
1
Background / Business Case
Why does this matter?
2
Current Condition
Where are we now?
3
Goal / Target Condition
Where do we want to be?
4
Root Cause Analysis
Why is it happening?
5
Countermeasures / Solutions
What will we do about it?
6
Implementation Plan
Who does what by when?
ActionOwnerDue DateStatusNotes
7
Results & Confirmation
Did it work?
8
Follow-up & Standardisation
How do we sustain it?
Root Cause Analysis

5 Whys

Iteratively ask "Why?" to move from symptom to root cause. Developed by Sakichi Toyoda, this technique is most effective for problems with a single causal chain. For complex problems with multiple causes, use a fishbone diagram alongside.

The 5 Whys Chain
Corrective Actions
Tips for effective 5 Whys
→Ask "why the process allows this" not "who did this" — focus on systems, not blame.
→If you get stuck, try reframing the why: "Why was this not caught or prevented earlier?"
→Each answer should logically lead to the next why — check the chain makes sense read bottom-up.
→Stop when you reach a cause you can actually change. 5 is a guide, not a rule — it may take 3 or 7.
→Validate your root cause: if you fix it, does the problem go away? Would the same problem have recurred?
→For complex problems with multiple branches, run separate 5 Whys chains for each branch.
Risk Management Tool

FMEA Analysis

Failure Mode and Effects Analysis. Systematically identify what could fail, assess the impact, and prioritise risks using the Risk Priority Number (RPN = Severity × Occurrence × Detection).

How to use FMEA

For each process step or component, identify potential failure modes (what could go wrong). For each failure mode, describe its effect on the customer or process, then rate Severity (S), Occurrence (O), and Detection (D) on a 1–10 scale. The RPN (S × O × D) prioritises where to focus. Address high-RPN items first, especially where severity is 8+.

RPN Priority Guide
≥200 — Critical. Act immediately.
100–199 — High. Plan action now.
50–99 — Medium. Monitor closely.
<50 — Low. Document and review.
S · O · D scale:
1 = Very low · 5 = Moderate · 10 = Very high
Process Step /
Function		 Potential
Failure Mode		 Effect of
Failure		 Risk Assessment RPN Cause of
Failure		 Current
Controls		 Recommended
Action		 Owner New
RPN
S
Severity		 O
Occurrence		 D
Detection
Enter values 1–10 for Severity, Occurrence, and Detection. RPN calculates automatically.
Rating Scales Reference
Severity (S)
1Negligible — no effect
2Very minor
3Minor — slight inconvenience
4Low — minor disruption
5Moderate — some rework
6Significant — partial function lost
7High — system degraded
8Very high — serious impact
9Hazardous — potential harm
10Catastrophic — safety critical
Occurrence (O)
1Extremely unlikely (1 in 1,000,000)
2Remote (1 in 100,000)
3Very slight (1 in 10,000)
4Slight (1 in 2,000)
5Low (1 in 400)
6Medium (1 in 80)
7Moderately high (1 in 20)
8High (1 in 8)
9Very high (1 in 3)
10Near certain (>1 in 2)
Detection (D)
1Almost certain detection
2Very high chance of detection
3High — likely to detect
4Moderately high detection
5Moderate — may detect
6Low — control is marginal
7Very low detection
8Remote chance of detection
9Very remote — hard to detect
10Almost impossible to detect
Lean Analysis Tool

Value Stream Map

Visualise the complete flow of materials and information from supplier to customer. Identify process steps, inventory queues, wait times, and total lead time. Distinguish value-adding (VA) from non-value-adding (NVA) activity to expose where waste lives.

Process / Value Stream Name
Mapped By
Date
Add to map:
Flow type:

Edit Process Step

Step Name
Type
Cycle Time (CT)
Process Time (PT)
Wait / Queue Time
No. of Operators
Quality / FTY %
Uptime / Reliability %
Notes / Observations
Current State Map 0 steps
🏭
Supplier
🏢
Customer
Total VA Time: —
Total NVA / Wait: —
Lead Time Efficiency: —
Material flow (push)
Information flow
Process step
Inventory / Queue (▽)
Kaizen burst
VA
Value-Adding
NVA
Non-Value-Adding
RNVA
Required NVA
Waste & Improvement Opportunities
Process Step Waste Type (TIMWOODS) Description Impact (H/M/L) Improvement Idea
How to Read & Build a VSM
📐 Start with Current State
Always map the current state first — exactly as it is, not how you wish it was. Walk the process from customer demand back to supplier (right to left). Use a stopwatch, not estimates.
⏱️ Capture Time Data
Cycle Time (CT): time to complete one unit. Process Time (PT): touch time only. Lead Time: CT + all wait/queue time. The gap between PT and CT is waste.
📊 Lead Time Efficiency
LTE = Total VA Time ÷ Total Lead Time × 100. Most processes are 5–30% efficient. A 10% LTE means 90% of the time the product is waiting, not being worked on.
▽ Inventory Triangles
Add a triangle between steps where work queues up. Record the quantity or time sitting idle. Large inventory signals a bottleneck or push-based scheduling problem upstream.
✦ Kaizen Bursts
Mark improvement opportunities on the current state map with a kaizen burst ✦ before drawing the future state. These become your improvement backlog — prioritise by impact and effort.
🔄 Push vs Pull
Push: work is released based on schedule or forecast — builds inventory. Pull: work is released only when the next step requests it (kanban). Pull reduces WIP and surfaces problems faster.
LL Notes 0 Actions 0 SIPOC Steps 0 FMEA Rows 0 VSM Steps 0