Lean principles / Kaizen and PDCA
Kaizen and PDCA: small improvements, every day, in front of everyone
Kaizen is continuous improvement made by the people doing the work; PDCA is the method that makes it stick: plan, try, check, consolidate. It works when the cycle is visible on a shop floor board and the meeting lasts five minutes, not when it lives in a file.
Board and symbols
Protected, fill-in sheets
Frames, 5S, mobile boards
Why PDCA must be made visible
There is no shortage of improvement ideas: what is missing is follow-up and verification. A PDCA cycle on the board shows everyone who is doing what, which trial is under way and whether the result has been achieved.
The A3 report and the updated standard close the cycle: when the improvement works, it becomes the new way of working, posted at the workstation and not in a binder.
How to spot it on the shop floor
Signal 1
Improvement actions that stay "in progress" for months.
Signal 2
Shop floor meetings without a surface to write on and move the status.
Signal 3
Updated standards that never reach the workstation.
01
The PDCA cycle on the board
Plan, Do, Check, Act on a magnetic surface: write, move, flip the symbol when the status changes.
The problem
Actions written on sticky notes that fall off, status passed on by word of mouth.
The solution
Magnetic whiteboards, flip-over red/green symbols, writable symbols and printable magnetic sheets for headers and legends.
Cardplan® – Whiteboard
Shop floor board
Metal, 250 or 500 mm wide; fits alongside Cardplan® boards and mounts on the mobile stand.
Double-sided magnetic symbols
Red on one side, green on the other
Figure, smiley, arrow and circle for shop floor management and PDCA.
Magnetic symbols
Arrows, circles and clouds
Writable with water-based markers; for VSM, PDCA and meetings.
Printable A4 magnetic sheets
Headers and legends
Print, cut out and stick to the board; pack of 10.
See also: Information boards · Magnetic symbols and smileys · Information boards buying guide
02
A3 reports and standards at the workstation
The A3 problem sheet and the updated standard stay protected, legible and easy to replace.
The problem
Sheets taped to the wall, outdated versions left lying around.
The solution
Magnetic windows and frames, repositionable adhesive windows up to A3 size, snap frames for documents that change often.
Magnetic Windows – Window
Protected sheet
Covers the sheet on the whiteboard or on steel surfaces; swapped without tools.
Repositionable adhesive windows
Up to A3 size
Repositionable adhesive, grey border; for lines and workstations.
Aluminium information board
Snap frame
Opens from the front, UV-stabilised anti-glare film.
See also: Magnetic Windows® · Visual management buying guide
03
Kaizen on the shop floor
Improvement happens where the work is done: information hung above the area, boards that move wherever they are needed.
The problem
The kaizen team meets in the meeting room and the shop floor never sees the results.
The solution
Suspended frame systems for areas and workstations, magnetic holders and a mobile stand to bring the board onto the shop floor.
5S suspension system
Tube and A3/A4 frames
Complete set with coloured frames for the area status.
See also: Information frames · 5S
Tools to get started
VSM, PDCA and KPI boards
Sleeves, labels and frames
Plan and KPIs on the shop floor
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