Kaizen blitz: Take lessons from the NFL to keep process improvementfrom dying

Companies implementing kaizen events can learn how to achieve long-term success in process improvement from the NFUs best teams. An NFL football game is all about teamwork and coaching. Three distinct units comprise the larger team, and each has to work effectively for the team to succeed. Coaches with excellent track records and the ability to lead teams are chosen carefully. Typically, the teams that most effectively used their minicamps, OTAs and preseason games have greater opportunity to succeed in the regular season and the playoffs. Also, prospects are better for more veteran-laden teams that have gone through multiple years of OTAs and pre-seasons. In sharp contrast with NFL football, a normal kaizen blitz is not about coaches and teams. This becomes evident from an aerospace company's kaizen journey that followed the familiar model of implementation. After reading a book on kaizen and visiting a Toyota manufacturing plant in Kentucky the company executives decided to implement kaizen.