Question 1:- Write detailed essay on Kaizen as a quality management

Kaizen is a Japanese word that has become common in many western companies. The word indicates a
process of continuous improvement of the standard way of work . It is a compound word involving two
concepts: Kai (change) and Zen (for the better) .The term comes from Gemba Kaizen meaning
‘Continuous Improvement’ (CI). Continuous Improvement is one of the core strategies for excellence in
production, and is considered vital in today’s competitive environment.

Kaizen forms an umbrella that covers many techniques including Kanban, total productive
maintenance, six sigma, automation, just-in-time, suggestion system and productivity
improvement, etc.

Kaizen originated in japan and the word translates to mean change (kai) for the good (zen).
Kaizen is defined as a continuous effort by each and every employee (from the CEO to field
staff) to ensure improvement of all processes and systems of a particular organization. The
process of Kaizen helps Japanese companies to outshine all other competitors by adhering to
certain set policies and rules to eliminate defects and ensure long term superior quality and
eventually customer satisfaction.

Kaizen works on the following basic principle.

“Change is for good”.

Kaizen means “continuous improvement of processes and functions of an organization through

change”. In a layman’s language, Kaizen brings continuous small improvements in the overall
processes and eventually aims towards organization’s success. Japanese feel that many small
continuous changes in the systems and policies bring effective results than few major changes.

Kaizen process aims at continuous improvement of processes not only in manufacturing sector
but all other departments as well. Implementing Kaizen tools is not the responsibility of a single
individual but involves every member who is directly associated with the organization. Every
individual, irrespective of his/her designation or level in the hierarchy needs to contribute by
incorporating small improvements and changes in the system.

Following are the main elements of Six Sigma:

 Teamwork
 Personal Discipline
 Improved Morale
 Quality Circles
 Suggestions for Improvement

Five S of Kaizen

“Five S” of Kaizen is a systematic approach which leads to foolproof systems, standard policies,
rules and regulations to give rise to a healthy work culture at the organization. You would hardly
find an individual representing a Japanese company unhappy or dissatisfied. Japanese employees
never speak ill about their organization. Yes, the process of Kaizen plays an important role in
employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction through small continuous changes and
eliminating defects. Kaizen tools give rise to a well organized workplace which results in better
productivity and yield better results. It also leads to employees who strongly feel attached
towards the organization.

Let us understand the five S in Detail:

1. SEIRI - SEIRI stands for Sort Out. According to Seiri, employees should sort out and
organize things well. Label the items as “Necessary”, ”Critical”, ”Most Important”, “Not
needed now”, “Useless and so on. Throw what all is useless. Keep aside what all is not
needed at the moment. Items which are critical and most important should be kept at a
safe place.
2. SEITION - Seition means to Organize. Research says that employees waste half of their
precious time searching for items and important documents. Every item should have its
own space and must be kept at its place only.
3. SEISO - The word “SEISO” means shine the workplace. The workplace ought to be kept
clean. De-clutter your workstation. Necessary documents should be kept in proper folders
and files. Use cabinets and drawers to store your items.
4. SEIKETSU-SEIKETSU refers to Standardization. Every organization needs to have
certain standard rules and set policies to ensure superior quality.
5. SHITSUKE or Self Discipline - Employees need to respect organization’s policies and
adhere to rules and regulations. Self discipline is essential. Do not attend office in
casuals. Follow work procedures and do not forget to carry your identity cards to work. It
gives you a sense of pride and respect for the organization.

Kaizen focuses on continuous small improvements and thus gives immediate results.
Kaizen
Gaining the Full Benefits of Continuous
Improvement

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Cottonfioc

Fine tuning isn't a box you can tick – it's an ongoing process.

How does "change" happen in your organization? Is it through major

initiatives, or is it part of the ongoing way you work?

Some types of change inevitably need a major project; meaning months of

hard work, big budgets and upheaval.

But an alternative or complementary approach to improving systems,

processes and so on, is through more subtle, ongoing changes and continuous
improvements. This approach is often undervalued.

Once a new major change has happened, perhaps a new system or structure
put in place, is everything perfect? Will the new processes stay set in stone
until the next major change in a few years' time? Almost certainly not. In
fact, if this attitude were taken, you would probably see a gradual decline in
benefits after the initial step improvement, as inefficiencies and bad practice
crept in.

There is always room to make small improvements, challenge the status quo,
and tune processes and practice on an everyday basis. In fact, you and your
colleagues probably do this week in, week out without calling it "change" or
even "continuous improvement". You're already getting real benefits from the
intuitive approach to continuous improvement. And over time, all of these
incremental changes add up, and make a significant positive impact on your
team and organization.
One approach to continuous, incremental improvement is called kaizen. It
originated in Japan and the word translates to mean change (kai) for the good
(zen).
Kaizen is based on the philosophical belief that everything can be improved:
some organizations look at a process and see that it's running fine;
organizations that follow the principle of Kaizen see a process that can be
improved. This means that nothing is ever seen as a status quo – there are
continuous efforts to improve which result in small, often imperceptible,
changes over time. These incremental changes add up to substantial changes
over the longer term, without having to go through any radical innovation. It
can be a much gentler and employee-friendly way to institute the changes
that must occur as a business grows and adapts to its changing environment.

Understanding the Approach

Because Kaizen is more a philosophy than a specific tool, its approach is
found in many different process improvement methods ranging from Total
Quality Management (TQM), to the use of employee suggestion boxes.
Under kaizen, all employees are responsible for identifying the gaps and
inefficiencies and everyone, at every level in the organization, suggests
where improvement can take place.

Kaizen aims for improvements in productivity, effectiveness, safety, and

waste reduction, and those who follow the approach often find a whole lot
more in return:

 Less waste – inventory is used more efficiently as are employee skills.

 People are more satisfied – they have a direct impact on the way
things are done.
 Improved commitment – team members have more of a stake in their
job and are more inclined to commit to doing a good job.
 Improved retention – satisfied and engaged people are more likely to
stay.
 Improved competitiveness – increases in efficiency tend to contribute
to lower costs and higher quality products.
 Improved consumer satisfaction – coming from higher quality
products with fewer faults.
 Improved problem solving – looking at processes from a solutions
perspective allows employees to solve problems continuously.
 Improved teams – working together to solve problems helps build and strengthen
existing teams.

Question 2 :- Discuss in detail about ISO 9000:2015 standard and unique points
from other revisions

Introduction

ISO 9000 is defined as a set of international standards on quality management and

quality assurance developed to help companies effectively document the quality
system elements needed to maintain an efficient quality system. They are not
specific to any one industry and can be applied to organizations of any size.

ISO 9000 can help a company satisfy its customers, meet regulatory requirements,
and achieve continual improvement. It should be considered to be a first step or the
base level of a quality system.

ISO 9000 was first published in 1987 by the International Organization for

Standardization (ISO), a specialized international agency for standardization
composed of the national standards bodies of more than 160 countries. The
standards underwent major revisions in 2000 and 2008. The most recent versions
of the standard, ISO 9000:2015 and ISO 9001:2015, were published in September
2015.

ISO 9000:2015 principles of Quality Management

The ISO 9000:2015 and ISO 9001:2015 standards are based on seven quality
management principles that senior management can apply to promote
organizational improvement.

Management Principles

1. Customer focus
o Understand the needs of existing and future customers
o Align organizational objectives with customer needs and expectations
o Meet customer requirements
o Measure customer satisfaction
o Manage customer relationships
o Aim to exceed customer expectations
o Learn more about the customer experience and customer satisfaction
2. Leadership
o Establish a vision and direction for the organization
o Set challenging goals
o Model organizational values
o Establish trust
o Equip and empower employees
o Recognize employee contributions
o Learn more about leadership
3. Engagement of people
o Ensure that people’s abilities are used and valued
o Make people accountable
o Enable participation in continual improvement
 o Evaluate individual performance
o Enable learning and knowledge sharing
o Enable open discussion of problems and constraints
o Learn more about employee involvement
4. Process approach
o Manage activities as processes
o Measure the capability of activities
o Identify linkages between activities
o Prioritize improvement opportunities
o Deploy resources effectively
o Learn more about a process view of work and see process analysis
tools
5. Improvement
o Improve organizational performance and capabilities
o Align improvement activities
o Empower people to make improvements
o Measure improvement consistently
o Celebrate improvements
o Learn more about approaches to continual improvement
6. Evidence-based decision making
o Ensure the accessibility of accurate and reliable data
o Use appropriate methods to analyze data
o Make decisions based on analysis
o Balance data analysis with practical experience
o See tools for decision making
 7. Relationship management
o Identify and select suppliers to manage costs, optimize resources, and
create value
o Establish relationships considering both the short and long term
o Share expertise, resources, information, and plans with partners
o Collaborate on improvement and development activities
o Recognize supplier successes
o Learn more about supplier quality and see resources related
to managing the supply chain

Reference

1. Palmer, 2001).
2. (Dean and Robinson, 1991)