Improvement Kata Fast Start

Program Synopsis:
Is your business struggling to establish a culture of continuous improvement based on the scientific method (PDCA)? Are you having difficulty maintaining on-going improvement efforts? This workshop may provide answers to your questions about establishing a culture of scientific thinkers practicing daily continuous improvement. The missing link in our organizations is the development of a context for how lean tools are applied that facilitates systematic improvement and innovation by all associates. The Improvement Kata/Coaching Kata is one approach that provides the appropriate context.

This four-hour condensed workshop will offer an overview to the improvement and coaching kata. Participants will experience the next level of lean thinking and operations management based on the book "Toyota Kata" by Mike Rother. Students will be exposed to the 4-Step Improvement Kata using hands-on exercises and team activities.

Improvement Kata provides:
- A systematic, scientific routine that can be applied to any problem or challenge.
- A standard method for how members of an organization develop solutions.
- A process for migrating managers toward the role of coach and mentor, by practicing coaching cycles.
- A framework for practicing PDCA in a way that has people taking small steps every day.

Targeted Audience:
This program is of general interest. The concepts are applicable to all industries.

The principles apply to novice, experienced and expert practitioners.

Program Learner/Participant Objectives:
- Build awareness of improvement and coaching kata
- Clarify a process for establishing daily continuous improvement
- Learn a 4-step systematic, goal-directed approach to improvement
- Overview how to create a culture of scientific thinkers
- Experience doing several coaching cycles

Parking is located at the west side of the building. Please use "Conference Center" entrance.

Speaker Bio:
Richard Fleming - 20+ years’ experience with lean implementation, helped several companies on their journey to win the Shingo Prize of operational excellence, currently an instructor for the Toyota Kata Workshop at the U of Michigan, he is a Master Kata Coach and his interests lie with transforming organizational structure and culture to support an operational excellence philosophy.