Kaizen Training

Hoshin Kanri is regarded as a unique operating system for a business that is at the heart of Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing. It is a method for strategic planning as well as a tool that is used to manage complex projects. Basically, honshin kanri is a quality operating system that helps to make sure that an organization achieves consistent profit growth and is also geared towards ensuring that the voice of customers are translated into new products. Read on to find out more about hoshin kanri and its implications in Lean Manufacturing. 

Most people believe that hoshin kanri is a lean tool which offers a convenient way for companies to keep track of projects. Some think that it’s one more secret that is advantageous to Toyota’s product development. But, in simple truth, it is a daily management methodology that is driven by long range thinking.

The information below will help you to understand more about this methodology.

Hoshin Kanri, commonly referred to as Policy Deployment, is a method used to ensure that a company’s strategic goals are geared towards action and progress at every level. This helps to eliminate the wastes which stems from poor communication and inconsistent direction. In essence, Hoshin is a thorough application of PDCA cycle to strategy development and the execution process.

The main objective of Hoshin is to get all employees pulling in one direction at the same time. This is achieved by aligning the company’s goals (strategy), the middle management plans (tactics) as well as the work that is performed by every employee (operations). Hoshin kanri is really a two-fold process — it’s a superior method for organizational learning and a competitive development system.

Contrary to what some people believe, when it comes to Six Sigma and Lean, Hoshin Kanri is definitely not the next big thing for quality management. It’s a strategic approach for continuous improvement and provides a framework for the individual components such as Lean Manufacturing or Six Sigma.

Hoshin Kanri would be the ideal place to begin lean deployment in a company.  To get a policy deployment right, this requires leadership training, understanding of PDCA, strategy development as well as the good knowledge of putting words and images on A3 paper. It really doesn’t make sense to do a middle-up implementation of hoshin kanri, except in cases when it’s used to prove a point or as a learning exercise.

When done the right way, hoshin kanri can create cross functional cooperation; turn resistance to support; engage the workforce in developing executable strategies; encourage the team to follow the process to respond to setbacks and changes; connect improvement efforts with financial outcomes as well as develop and act on highly effective strategies annually to achieve the company’s objectives.