Learn from the original Kaizen Ninja. This immersive training will cover all aspects of winning Kaizen events and upskill Kaizen facilitators in your organization.

Facilitation principles

What’s the difference between a facilitator, team leader, and sponsor? What role do each play and how do we align each of them to strengthen commitment to the event, the team, and to sustain the results from the Kaizen event. Learn the “why” behind all aspects of Kaizen facilitation, driving engagement, empowerment, equal voice, and ownership for all solutions.

Facilitation techniques

Techniques that drive creativity, problem solving, equal voice, empowerment, energy, and fun are demonstrated to the participants. Then, they get to practice all of them with the group to build confidence in delivering them. Some of the many techniques include: The Power of Post-Its, Mix it Up, Why, not What, Bring the Energy, and Go to Gemba.

Prioritization

How do you narrow down hundreds of ideas down to the critical few to action on in 15 minutes or less? Proven techniques and strategies are shared and demonstrated. Participants practice and deliver them with real world examples.

Chartering to Win

The proven 4-step method that aligns leaders around providing a winning experience for their Kaizen teams. From developing the problem statement, identifying event objectives, naming the team members, and choosing a team leader, each participant will pick a current business issue and work with their sponsor to develop a charter for an approved and scheduled Kaizen event.

Go to Gemba

How do you ensure that all team members are engaging in Gemba and developing ideas to solve critical problems identified in the Kaizen charter? Participants will learn how to effectively manage their teams and ensure all are generating value-adding ideas while researching their problem(s) in Gemba.

Value Stream Mapping

A critical technique to help teams visualize the process they’re improving and the waste associated with it. If they cannot see waste, they can’t do anything about it. Using a simple example, participants will learn the simplest techniques to engage all team members in building and delivering a high-impact Value Stream map to uncover the opportunities to improve.

Wheel of Sustainability

Participants learn about the Wheel from the guy who wrote the book on Sustainability. The elements of the Wheel of Sustainability are explained and demonstrated in a way that lock in the changes achieved from the Kaizen event, so that they can be used confidently for all future Kaizen events and projects.

Kaizen Event Planning and Promotion

What are all the details that go into planning a winning Kaizen event? Participants get the tools and the templates they need to successfully plan their next Kaizen event. They then apply it to the event they chartered earlier and get feedback and ideas to strengthen their specific plans. Then, they learn simple promotion techniques to strengthen organizational enthusiasm and ownership for their upcoming Kaizen events.

Kaizen Event Report Out Design and Delivery

How do we tell the story of the Kaizen teams’ efforts? In order to maximize impact and minimize effort, a common story template is shared, which can be modified based on the needs of the different organizations. Instead of building from scratch, a simple format, which can be comfortably delivered by the Kaizen team in approximately 15 minutes. Even the most shy and introverted team members are likely to participate in their Kaizen report out, using this easy to follow format.

Kaizen Ninja Academy Certification

To attain full Kaizen Ninja Academy Certifications, participants must complete the Ninja Academy, attend our Kaizen events as a team member, team leader, co-facilitate with a Kaizen Ninja, and then have a Kaizen Ninja co-facilitate with them. Feedback is shared every step of the way, to ensure learning and alignment on approach. Certification is optional, but recommended for full value and confidence of our participants.