Kaizen Facilitator Certificate

Course Description

The Kaizen Facilitator Certificate training program covers the fundamentals of Kaizen Event facilitation and the deployment of many commonly used process improvement tools. A Kaizen Event is a short workshop in which a team spends all of their time on discovering a problem's root causes, formulating proper solutions, and immediately implementing them.  Each Kaizen Event is conducted in-person over two 90-minute sessions called Workshops.

The focus of the certification program is to teach attendees the process improvement tools and how they are built, with emphasis on deploying these tools toward successful outcomes in front of a group of people.  The primary purpose of the Kaizen Experience is for participants to gain proficiency and confidence leading successful Kaizen Events with the goal of certification. The secondary purpose is to solve problems and drive value for applicant organizations.

The instruction for the course consists of hands-on Kaizen Event co-facilitation with actual clients. Organizations within Ohio State will provide pain points for the Kaizen Events.  Sponsors outside OSU will also contribute pain points that the program participants can help to resolve. Program participants lead and co-facilitate each Kaizen Workshop with Professor Tracy Owens, from the Department of Integrated Systems Engineering in the College of Engineering. Professor Owens is the author of F-Notes: Facilitation for Quality, and he has led numerous Kaizen Events over his 25-year-career.   
 

What students will learn

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

1. Define the characteristics of a well-screened and well-executed Kaizen Event.

2. Lead and facilitate a Kaizen Event, which will include a variety of process improvement tools.

3. Exercise with confidence and competence the development of a prioritized follow-up action register.

4. Coach others on screening and leadership Kaizen Events and monitoring results.

How to earn the certificate

Participants must learn and demonstrate proficiency in these three critical areas to earn this certification: 

1. Screening Kaizen Events: How to clearly define the current problem or opportunity and estimating the goal(s) of the Kaizen Event.

2. Leading Kaizen Events: How to facilitate the team toward productive results using the appropriate process improvement tools and techniques at the right times.

3. Monitoring Progress: It is critical that the Kaizen Event leads to real changes and not just a wish list. Participants learn how to help the client track the impact and benefits of the workshops.