Kaizen Sketchbook: Description and Table of Contents         

What is Kaizen?   Kaizen merges work and process improvement without increasing chaos because diverse teams of contributors, including direct operators, follow a strict discipline to design a precise choreography of people, equipment, materials and information flow that is devoid of waste. The improved flow achieves delightful success and is sustained through consistent leadership and visual controls.

The Kaizen Sketchbook explains and illustrates Kaizen in hundreds of pages of color illustrations, charts, demonstrations and step-by-step examples. It is a walking slide show of best practices and idea catalysts. Including an extensive glossary, index and very selective timeline, this portable guide will inspire, instruct, and support consistent application of Plan, Do, Check and Act Kaizen.

The author, Marypat Cooper, has compiled over 20 years of process improvement experience into the Kaizen Sketchbook, including her notes from multiple sessions with Dr. W. Edwards Deming as well as over 14 years under instruction by students of Taiichi Ohno. She has combined the technical features of kaizen with the social aspects, including numerous office applications together with production floor examples to give the reader timeless value.

The book includes hundreds of specific examples of how to observe, try-storm, prioritize and implement ideas for improvement. Step-by-step instructions for prioritizing issues, taking time study and resolving team conflict are organized, accessible and portable.

Value Stream Maps and Strategy Deployment are extensively explained and fully drawn in color.

A forward by Gary Brooks and introduction by Jim Cutler, a timeline of the history of lean development and a glossary of over 250 terms give the owner a broad yet useful perspective.