Lean

Is it Worth the Time to Kaizen This?

Avatar photo By Jon Miller Updated on May 24th, 2017

If you have ever wondered, “is it worth the time to kaizen this?” here is your guide to answer that question. It’s from a strictly mathematical point of view, and keep in mind this is assuming five-year payback, so adjust the numbers accordingly for quicker expectation of ROI. (Source: XKCD, http://www.xkcd.com/1205)

When doing kaizen we also need to take into account the non-mathematical or indirect benefits which include learning more about the process you are improving, becoming better at problem solving, engaging people’s minds in the work, morale boost (provided time savings is a result of reduced burden or boring tasks), and the success-builds-on-success factor of making many small changes resulting in an organization generally more adaptive to changes that inevitably come to them.

Some very successful people are committed to the idea of making small changes every day, even if it is only 2 seconds of improvement per day, regardless of the short-term financial justification.


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