KAMISHIBAI TOOL Eduardo L. Garcia. © 2015. Kamishibai is a form of storytelling using visual cards/boards. This originated in Japanese Buddhist temples in the 12thcentury, where monks used emakimono (picture

scrolls) to convey stories with moral lessons to a mostly illiterate audience.

SUSTENANCE PART OF KAIZEN

Most of the organizations begin with their Kaizen/Lean journey

and often struggle with sustenance part. The biggest challenge for

organizations is how to sustain the improvements that they have

begun to see. There are various improvement tools like 5s, TPM,

TQM, Kaizen, Lean, Six sigma etc that can easily improve the

business both short term & long term. But the bigger challenge

comes when setting up processes for long term. Most of the

organizations set up ‘audits’ of a new process or system and

believe that this will ensure sustainability. It can definitely help

provided it is done on regular basis & correctly.

“Kamishibai boards are used as a visual

control for performing audits within a

manufacturing/management process

PERMANENTING ENHANCEMENTS

Processes are set up; standardized work job instruction

sheets/cards are created to show how the process is to be done.

Supervisors then train the worker on new process using the job

instruction sheets and then an audit system is put in place to

make sure that the workers or operators are doing or following the

process correctly.

Many processes are being set up within this format using lean

tools, however, at some point the organization will realize that

something is missing and that is when Accountability comes in

picture. Who is auditing? Who is checking the supervisors,

managers? to make sure that they are doing their part as per the

process.

That is when organizations realized & started using Kamishibai

cards as part of their audit process. Kamishibhai was used in the

context of the TPS for the first time from a Canadian former

Toyota manager during a LEI seminar. In TPS Kamishibai are

21st century equivalent of audits of the kaizen culture. Only within

the last few years have American companies started to realize the

potential of using Kamishibai boards and cards to manage a

system in a factory.

KAMISHIBAI IN TPS

Now Kamishibai it is being used

as a management tool for

performing audits within a

manufacturing process. As part

of the Toyota production system

(TPS), Kamishibai boards are

used as a visual control for

performing audits within a

manufacturing process. A series

of cards are placed on a board

and selected at random or

according to schedule by

supervisors and managers of the

area. This ensures safety and

cleanliness of the workplace is

maintained and that quality

checks are being performed.

Δ Kamishibai Board in Healtcare. ∇ Kamishibai Board Comunication.

“At one point, this systems management tool was

a closely uarded Toyota secret”

Kamishibai cards are like cue cards or work instructions for auditing a

process. The Kamishibai board is a visual management tool like hour

by hour production status boards are for supervisors and line

managers. If hour by hour boards are used during the shift and on an

hourly or bi-hourly cadence, Kamishibai boards are used for weekly,

monthly and even quarterly audits. Kamishibai prevents “breakdown

maintenance” of the Lean system itself through audits, just as in TPM

the regular equipment checks prevent machine breakdowns due to

machines wearing, overheating, etc.

THE BASICS OF A MANAGEMENT KAMISHIBAI CARD.

It is an 8.5 by 11 sheet of paper (not laminated) that is intended to be

very flexible and changeable. First, fold the paper lengthwise down

the center so that you have one 4.25 by 11 sheet of paper, and then

open it back up so that the crease is on top (like the roof of a house).

This is the “front” of the card. On the left side of the front, you should

divide it into 4 or 5 quarters. Each quarter represents a time of the

day. First quarter is the first few hours after you arrive at work. The

2nd quarter is the hours before lunch. 3rd quarter is the few hours

after lunch, and the 4th quarter is the few hours before you go home.

You can also have a quarter for either overtime, or weekly / monthly

tasks. In each of these, quarters should go the “systems” that have

been set up as part of your lean implementation.

Many organizations also think that Kamishibai card is like a to-do list.

Actually the front left portion of the card can be used as a to-do list

however that leaves out one of the most important reasons for this list

and that is creation of dialogue between the members of management

and operators. During the discussion if the employee comes out with

some idea manager should document that on the back side of the card

and do whatever they can to implement that idea. We have already

talked about the front left & back left side (to record the details from

the front left side). Now let’s discuss the front right side. This side is

extremely flexible. You can use it as a place to document projects that

you need to perform follow up activities on an infrequent basis. If you

use it for this, then you would have project #1 on the front, “work on

identifying root cause for case defects from machine 567” If

you perform some work on that project during the day, it should be

recorded on the back right side of the card.

Few reasons to implement Kamishibai cards are to begin to

standardize work, to add accountability into the system and also to

establish much needed positive dialogue between members of

management and the operators that actually do the work.

The standardized approach of

the Kamishibai board and

audit routine minimizes

difference between the

individual preference, style or

attention to detail between

managers. This reduces

variability in outcomes of

audits between different

people.

As mentioned earlier the

Kamishibai card needs to be

flexible so that the manager,

supervisor can add items to

your card as needed and

remove items from the card

once you feel the process is

under control. Once you feel

the process is under control

you can also reduce the no of

audits from daily to weekly to

monthly and so on.

Self-discipline by the

management to use it

correctly can make it happen.

Part of the management

routine in a Lean organization

is to audit existing standards

so that any deviation can be

addressed and kaizen action is

taken. The Kamishibai is a

way to make adherence to this

process visual on the gemba.

Kamishibai is incredibly

simple to use, and also

delivers some amazing

results. It can be used to great

effect to create habits & drive

behaviour. And all this greatly

helps to sustain Kaizen/Lean

implementation. They are low

cost & quick to implement.

KAMISHIBAI