IMPROVING PRODUCTIVITY

1. Map the process step by step to understand how the company currently operates.

2. Identify unnecessary actions and delays that cause loss of time and money.

3. Optimize for uninterrupted workflow to ensure tasks are completed on time.

Day 1: Mapping (Current State Analysis)

Day Focus: Basic concepts, process visualization, and identifying hidden losses.  * Introduction Block    * Training Introduction: Goals, Objectives.    * Kaizen Tools House.    * Process Visualization.    * DMAIC Algorithm.  * Practice: Immersion    * Business Game “Production” (Round 1).  * Module 1: Macro Analysis (“Eagle View”)    * Mini Lecture: Current State Process Chart. Construction Stages.    * Exercise: Building Current State Process Chart for the Game.  * Module 2: Micro Analysis (“Ant View”)    * Mini Lecture: Measurement and Analysis Tools.    * Practical Exercises Block on Game:      * Conducting Time Studies.      * Filling Out the Operation Diagram.      * Filling Out the Operator Load Diagram.      * Creating a Spaghetti Diagram.  * Day Summary    * Exercise: Calculating the Flow Efficiency. 

Day 2: Flow. Just-in-Time Method

Day Focus: Applying Lean Manufacturing Principles and Designing the Target State.  * Introduction Block    * Reflection on the First Day.  * Module 3: Flow Optimization    * Mini Lecture: “8 Flow Principles”.    * Exercise: Practicing the 8 Principles.  * Practice: Transformation    * Business Game “Production” using 8 Flow Principles.  * Module 4: Target State    * Mini Lecture: Future State Process Chart. 

Day 3: Gemba and Certification

Day Focus: Working Under Real Conditions and Knowledge Verification.  * Going to Production    * Gemba Walk.  * Module 5: On-Site Practice    * Exercise: Practicing Mapping Skills on a Real Process at Gemba.  * Concluding the Course    * Testing: Verifying Knowledge from Course Materials.    * Summing Up, Gathering Feedback.

Implement 5S to ensure order, safety, and accessibility of necessary items at the workplace

This will help employees spend less time on searches, unnecessary movements, and relocations.

Train the team in the Kaizen approach so employees can identify and implement improvements within the company.

Day 1 10:00-17:00

Introduction to training:

The valuable final product of Kaizen is engaged and proactive employees who will independently deliver results (time-quality-cost efficiency)

Business game: Production

Goal: to identify issues with the help of participants, conduct analysis through them, and develop a system for submitting ideas. Collecting issues on the board. System for submitting ideas through engagement measurement (survey). Communication plan. Developing engagement plan through corporate tasks. Mini-lecture: explanation of BUP tools

Practice: - Organization of the workspace according to 5S at sites - creating SOPs for operations - ABC analysis using warehouse example

Day 2 10:00-17:00

Introduction: TWI system as a tool for organizing employee training and development in the company, which provides systematic engagement of people.

Mini-lecture: work instructions, improving work methods in instructions

Practice through game: - filling out "Work Methods" forms - creating Work Instructions using game examples

Day 3 10:00-17:00

Field visit (gemba) to practice skills

Choosing a pilot operation (instruction development) Proposal submission system (ideas on organizing 5S in a pilot area)

Engagement measurement (survey) of the pilot team

Teach employees to find problems together and solve them through quality circles.

Analyze not only the error itself but also its cause — why it occurred.

This way, processes become more stable, errors will be fewer, and the quality of work will be higher.

Day 1: Facts and roots – Basic quality tools

Focus of the day: Learn to collect reliable data, structure problems and separate facts from opinions.

Introductory block

• Course opening: goals, expectations, the rule «gemba – the main teacher».
• What is TQM: evolution from quality control to total quality management.
• PDCA cycle – the heart of TQM.
• Seven quality tools: overview and place in PDCA.

Practice: Business game «Production»

• Introduction to the production line: areas (bottom, body, legs, blades/wings, pre-assembly, final assembly, QC).
• Round 1: assembly of order «3 helicopters, 3 airplanes, 4 boats»
• Recording results: time, number of defects, in-progress items.

Module 1: Collecting facts – Checklists and stratification

• Mini-lecture: how and where to collect data. Mistake of collecting only at QC.
• Exercise on game:
• Develop a checklist for each area.
• Stratification of defects by area, operators, product types.
• Analysis: which area produces the most defects and rejects?

Module 2: Finding priorities – Pareto diagram

• Mini-lecture: 20/80 rule, building a Pareto diagram.
• Exercise: based on checklists from round 1 build a Pareto chart of defects.
• Conclusion: 2-3 types of defects account for 80% of losses (those will be addressed tomorrow).

Module 3: Finding root causes – Ishikawa diagram («fishbone»)

• Mini-lecture: how to organize a brainstorming, categories 6M (Man, Machine, Material, Method, Measurement, Environment).
• Exercise (in groups): for the main defect from Pareto build an Ishikawa diagram.
• Verification: which hypotheses can be tested today?

End of the day

• Reflection: how facts differ from guesses?
• Homework: come up with what data needs to be collected in round 2 to test one of the hypotheses (e.g., linking defects to assembly time).

Day 2: Analysis, hypotheses, and process management

Focus of the day: Quantitative analysis, hypothesis testing and introduction of a statistical control system.

Introductory block

• Reflecting on the first day, homework review.
• How to verify a cause, not guess: PDCA cycle in practice.

Module 4: Distribution analysis – Histogram and scatter diagram

• Mini-lecture: histogram – «photo» of variability. Scatter diagram – checking the relationship between two variables.
• Practice in the game (round 2): assembling the same order, but with additional measurements.
• Measure assembly time of each product (stopwatch).
• Record the number of defects per product.
• Building a histogram of assembly time (e.g., for boats).
• Building a scatter diagram «assembly time → number of defects».
• Interpretation: is there a connection? If so – what kind (positive, negative, none)?

Module 5: Managing stability – Shewhart control charts

• Mini-lecture: random and special variation. How not to harm the process.
• Practice: building a control chart by the number of defects per boat (per 5 boats per hour or per rounds).
• Exercise: determine if there were «special causes» in round 2 (out of limits, series of 7 points, etc.).

Module 6: Implementing improvements – TQM practice in the game

• Round 3: you make changes based on the data obtained (e.g., change instructions on the defective section, add visual control, retrain the operator).
• Collect data again – the same checklists.
• Comparison of results of rounds 1, 2, 3: have defects, time, productivity changed?

End of the day

• What did the statistics provide? Which improvements worked and which did not?
• Preparation for going to gemba: what data and tools will be needed in the real workshop?

Day 3: Gemba – real production and certification

Focus of the day: Practicing skills in a live process, identifying waste, proposing improvements.

Going to gemba

• Short briefing: safety rules, observation ethics, task of the day.
• Breakdown into mini-groups (3-4 people each).

Module 7: Practice in a real area (gemba)

Each group receives a gemba observation sheet (adapted to 7 tools):

1. Checklist – record all observed defects/deviations per hour.
2. Stratification – by workplaces, shifts, product types.
3. Pareto diagram (upon return) – highlight major problems.
4. Ishikawa diagram – for one of the problems build a cause-and-effect scheme with operators participating.
5. Histogram – if a parameter can be measured (time, size, temperature) – collect data.
6. Scatter diagram – test a hypothesis (e.g., «tool change time → roughness»).
7. Control chart – based on existing data (if there is an archive) assess process stability.

• Additionally: observation of PDCA cycle compliance, standardization, visual management.

Module 8: Processing and presenting results

• Groups systematize field notes, build diagrams (flipchart or laptop).
• Each group prepares a 3-minute presentation:
• What main problem was identified.
• Which tool helped to see it.
• One improvement suggestion (action within PDCA).

Course completion

• Testing (20 min): checking understanding of 7 tools, TQM principles, PDCA cycle.
• Round table – reflection: which tools can already be implemented in your work tomorrow?
• Certificate awarding (show where they are stored), feedback collection.