Kaizen sizes poster

Kaizen comes in sizes. A quick kaizen is a small fix the operator and team leader make in days; a standard kaizen gives a repeat problem to a small team; a major kaizen puts a bigger team and several tools on a complex, chronic loss; an advanced kaizen brings data and expert help to what is left. This poster shows the four sizes as a ladder and the one rule that keeps the system honest: start small, and move up a size only when the target is missed.

Download the poster

The PNG is free to download now. The print-ready vector PDFs open after a short form, once.

Download PNG (300 dpi)2550 x 3300 px, prints at 8.5 x 11 in · 356 KB · no form

Free to print and share with your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.

Kaizen sizes poster — 24 x 36 in18 x 24 inA2A3LetterA4PNG 300 dpi

The words on the poster

Four sizes of kaizen

Match the effort to the problem. Always start with the smallest that can work.

From smallest to largest

Quick kaizen The cause is clear. Operator and team leader fix it in days, at little cost.
Standard kaizen A repeat problem. A small mixed team and simple tools, in a few weeks.
Major kaizen Complex and chronic. A bigger team and several tools, over one to three months.
Advanced kaizen Still there after a major kaizen, or the target is zero. Data and expert help.

Target missed? Take the next size, with a bigger team and more tools. Never start big when a quick kaizen will do.

On the floor

How to use it

Putting the Kaizen sizes poster to work

1
Put it next to the kaizen board, so each new problem is given a size before anyone starts.
2
When a quick kaizen misses its target twice, use the ladder to agree the next size and who joins the team.
3
Use it with leaders who start everything as a big project: most problems never need one.
4
Pair it with the free quick kaizen template and kaizen project plan.

Where the poster goes and how to teach with it, in the order to try them.

Which size to print

24 x 36 in or A2: a main wall or team board, read from a few metres away.
18 x 24 in or A3: a station or notice board. The A3 file also fits 11 x 17 in paper.
Letter or A4: a clipboard, binder or handout, on any office printer.

Every PDF is vector, so it stays sharp at full size. Nothing runs to the edge of the page, so no bleed is needed.