A Team Leader's Guide to Lean Kaizen Events [Spiral-bound]

William Wes Waldo (Author), Tom Jones (Author), Neil DeCarlo (Editor), Colin Moore (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Product Description
Lean manufacturing isn't new, but many companies are still discovering how Lean principles can greatly improve both manufacturing and service processes. A Team Leaders Guide to Lean Kaizen Events helps organizations reduce process and product waste, and solve issues related to efficiency, workflow and resource balancing. Introducing a structured methodology called SCORE(TM), the book provides a blueprint and complete set of implementation aids for Lean projects that will prove invaluable for any organization.

A Team Leaders Guide to Lean Kaizen Events is written for facilitators who have already been trained in the principles and tools of Lean, and who want a step-by-step process for conducting Lean Kaizen Events. The book provides a detailed roadmap for running an event, explanations of commonly-used Lean tools and more than 30 must-have templates. The 85-page guide comes with a BONUS CD-ROM that includes all the templates, team charters and worksheets in Excel, plus 13 Lean workplace posters (24x36" or 8.5x11") that can be used to inspire and motivate project teams.

About the Authors
William Wes Waldo is a certified Lean Master with more than 12 years of quality, operations management and process improvement experience in diverse environments. Wes instructs students in the principles of Lean, as well as facilitating Lean Kaizen events at client sites. Wes received his Lean certification from Ohio State Fisher College of Business. He is also an ASQ certified quality engineer. Wes is also a contributor to The Complete Idiot's Guide to Lean Six Sigma (release date April 2007).

Tom Jones is a Six Sigma Black Belt and Lean Master with operations leadership experience, a background in process management and a proven track record of substantial gains in quality and productivity. Tom has a masters degree in quality management, and a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering with an emphasis in management science. Tom is also a contributor to The Complete Idiot's Guide to Lean Six Sigma (release date April 2007).

Product Details

• Spiral-bound: 85 pages
• Publisher: Breakthrough Performance Press; 1st edition (July 10, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0976901013
• ISBN-13: 978-0976901013
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #313,057 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars First choice of available books on the subject, February 1, 2007

By	Mark Warren (Georgia, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Team Leader's Guide to Lean Kaizen Events (Spiral-bound)

I have copies of several different books that claim to guide a company thru the Kaizen process. This is the one that I suggest most often.
If you are a small to medium sized manufacturing company and need a straight forward handbook that you can implement yourself, this is the one to get. The CD is helpful in providing the sample forms on Excel and even the posters can be printed locally for your program.
This book can be used as a practical roadmap for implementing a continuous improvement program. While it is somewhat weak in the problem solving area, the rest of the book more than makes up for this.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Facilitation Guide with Methods and Tools, November 27, 2006

By	W. Walt Tarpley (Denver) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: A Team Leader's Guide to Lean Kaizen Events (Spiral-bound)

The guide removes the mystique of conducting your own Kaizen events. Kaizen events can mobilize teams with enthusiasm to solve many problems in complex business processes. With the use of this guide, typical failures are prevented through the application of the SCORE methodology. The enclosed CD contains the forms and checklists shown for fast startup.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tremendous Tool for Leading Kaizen Events!!, July 17, 2009

By	Kevin Kelleher - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: A Team Leader's Guide to Lean Kaizen Events (Spiral-bound)

The primary purpose of the book is to provide a guide for Kaizen Team Leaders. This guide does an excellent job detailing the steps and tips on how to lead a team in the application of lean methods and tools. Whether a novice or experienced at conducting events, this most book most definitely should be in your improvement toolbox. It even has an accompanying CD that provides many of the templates and tools used in the book which are a tremendous help when facilitating teams.

When I first started leading events, I used this guide to help me plan and guide a Kaizen effort. Often, a key challenge for a Team Leader is to stay ahead of the team in terms of clarifying the objective and providing a roadmap. This guide was the "crutch" I needed.
And now, even as experienced Lean Leader, I still bring this book out and run through the various items to ensure I have remembered everything. I always have it with me.

But, for those of you who want to first learn about Lean, this is not the book. It touches upon many of the tools, but the guide assumes you are familiar with Lean concepts and methods. As the title states, it is a job aide for Team Leaders who are planning and implementing a Kaizen event. For that, it is terrific.