Creating a successful continuous improvement culture is challenging. Eliminate some of the obstacles by developing a Lean infrastructure that supports your CI efforts.
The stronger your Lean infrastructure is, the easier it is to use Lean tools and apply Lean philosophies.
That structure keeps you from having to reinvent the wheel. It lets you focus on the specifics of the process you are working on rather than having to spend time figuring out the process of continuous improvement.
An effective problem statement for your kaizen will keep you focused. It will also help you 'sell' the need for the project to acquire resources.
Selecting the right team will increase you kaizen event's chance for success.
In this short video, I talk about a quote I recently heard on a TV show. It is extremely applicable to many Lean/Continuous Improvement concepts.