Today's Lean! The Wiki (or Quick) Kaizen Approach to Continuous Improvement

The term “wiki” comes from the Hawaiian phrase, “wiki wiki,” which means “super fast” or “quick.” A wiki is also a Web site that allows users to add and update content on the site using their own Web browser. A great example of a large wiki is the Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia that anyone can edit. If you have thousands of users adding content to a Web site on a regular basis, the site could grow “super fast” in a very short time period. We have taken that Wiki meaning of “quick” and “super fast” and applying it to the Kaizen concept of “continuous improvement.” Businesses today must continually change, update their processes and systems faster than ever. Therefore, Wiki Kaizen is defined as a quick, easy-to-implement improvement b that does not typically require any type of collaboration. The subsequent documentation and sharing of this improvement knowledge would be available throughout the organization. This self-perpetuating business improvement model would allow improvements to expand at a faster rate than before. Wiki Kaizen is meant to assist the front-line worker to not only gain a basic understanding of Lean but also use this information to “quickly” improve their daily work processes by eliminating wasteful activities that add no value.

About the Authors

Rob Ptacek is a Partner in the Global Lean Institute and President and CEO of Competitive Edge Training and Consulting, a firm specializing in leader and organizational development and Lean Enterprise transformations. He is an Approved Scanlon Leadership Network Consultant. Mr. Ptacek holds a BS in Metallurgical Engineering from Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI (USA), and a Masters of Management from Aquinas College, Grand Rapids, MI (USA).

Mr. Ptacek has held leadership positions in Quality, Sales, and Operations Management, and has over 25 years of practical experience implementing continuous improvements in a variety of industries. He speaks on leadership and continuous improvement topics for several industry associations including the Precision Metal Forming Association (PMA), Society of Manufacturing Engineering (SME), American Society for Quality (ASQ), American Mold Builders Association (AMBA), and the Scanlon Leadership Network (SLN).

Todd Sperl is a Master Black Belt/Lean Sensei and led the deployment of Lean Six Sigma across St. John Health. His experience ranges from facilitating large, complex organizational transformation initiatives to achieve significant and measurable results, to leading numerous smaller-type improvements. Todd is Managing Partner at Lean Fox Solutions, LLC, a healthcare consulting firm where their vision is to improve the patient care experience.