Why Great Kaizen Starts Before the Event

Kaizen Snapshot

Setting: Armstrong World Industries Technology Group
Challenge: Poorly defined Kaizen charters wasting time and energy
Stakes: Misaligned priorities, weak engagement, limited business impact
Approach: Clear standards, disciplined gatekeeping, simplified chartering
Outcome: Stronger business cases, better-aligned teams, higher-impact Kaizen
Key Lesson: If the problem isn’t clear, the Kaizen won’t be either

The Situation

During my final six years as Global Lean Champion for Armstrong’s Technology group, I encouraged leaders to sponsor Kaizen events to solve critical business problems.

One requirement never changed: every Kaizen needed a charter.

The charter wasn’t bureaucracy. It was how we ensured:

• The right problem was being solved

• Leaders were aligned

• The work justified pulling people away from their daily jobs

As momentum grew, more leaders reached out for support. As the gatekeeper for Kaizen events, I reviewed every charter before an event was approved.

That’s when I met Stan.

What Was Getting in the Way

Stan was an experienced engineer who wanted to run a Kaizen in his area. We talked through what he hoped to accomplish, and I shared the standard charter template.

I asked him to complete it before our next meeting.

Three days later, he hadn’t.

“I just want to make sure you understand what I’m trying to do.”

I explained why the charter mattered. It forces clarity, alignment, and commitment.

Stan tried again.

And again.

And again.

After more than a dozen iterations, a pattern became clear.

What We Discovered

Stan wasn’t struggling with the template.

He was struggling with the why.

The charter never articulated a compelling business case. It sounded less like a Kaizen event and more like a request for people to do his work for him.

I told him I couldn’t approve the event.

He wasn’t satisfied, so we met with his sponsor to see if we could clarify the value together.

We couldn’t.

The event never happened.

What Changed (for Me)

There’s a risk in being strict about Kaizen charters. But I owed it to the organization to protect people’s time and energy.

More importantly, I realized something uncomfortable:

Chartering wasn’t as easy as I thought it was.

So I changed my approach.

The Improvements I Made

I did two things that changed everything:

1. Simplified the process
   I created a clear, four-step approach called Chartering to Win, with explicit intent and critical questions for each step.

2. Took ownership of the starting point
   Instead of asking leaders to start from a blank page, I began drafting a first version of the charter with them.

It’s far easier to edit than to create from scratch.

The Takeaway

Strong Kaizen events don’t fail in the room.

They fail before they ever start when the problem isn’t clear and the purpose isn’t compelling.

Today, I use the same Chartering to Win approach with my clients, and I teach leaders how to do it themselves.

And I owe that lesson to Stan.

Why This Matters

Too many organizations jump into Kaizen because it feels productive, not because it’s focused.

Clear chartering protects people’s time, builds alignment, and dramatically increases the odds that improvement will stick.

Want Better Kaizen Outcomes?

If your Kaizen efforts feel busy but not impactful, the problem may not be execution — it may be chartering.