Kaizen, or Continuous Improvement, is the second topic Chris and AJ cover in their Word of Note mini series. Not from a design standpoint, or how to make a better product; but from the perspective for how anyone can seek out change small changes for their personal good. All that and more, and your favorite PNW aficionados are four episodes away from their 100th!.



From Toyota's Blog (http://blog.toyota.co.uk/kaizen-toyota-production-system): “*Kaizen* (English: Continuous improvement): A philosophy that helps to ensure maximum quality, the elimination of waste, and improvements in efficiency, both in terms of equipment and work procedures. Kaizen improvements in standardised work help maximise productivity at every worksite. *Standardised work involves following procedures consistently and therefore employees can identify the problems promptly*.”

5 S's from the Design World

* Sort (Seiri) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5S_(methodology)#Sort_(Seiri))
* Set in order (Seiton) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5S_(methodology)#Set_in_order_(Seiton))
* Shine/Sweep (Seiso) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5S_(methodology)#Shine/Sweep_(Seiso))
* Standardize (Seiketsu) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5S_(methodology)#Standardize_(Seiketsu))
* Sustain/Self-discipline (Shitsuke) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5S_(methodology)#Sustain/Self-discipline_(Shitsuke))



Fujifilm's Frequent Firmware Updates, from PetaPixel (https://petapixel.com/2013/04/29/fujifilm-constant-improvement-and-the-philosophy-of-kaizen/): “The idea is that Fuji releases these updates so often because they strive for constant improvement in their cameras even after they’ve gotten them in your hands. Every company (well maybe not all of them… (https://petapixel.com/2013/04/24/a-brutally-honest-review-of-canons-new-rebel-t5i-the-t4i-on-placebo/)) strives to improve with each generation, but Fuji isn’t scared to improve in-between — “It was ‘right,’ now it’s ‘more right.’”

Chris' current Kaizen - Data clutter stored in the cloud

One chunk of data when time permits

* Digest, learn, and delete
* Rename and categorize for future reference

Aj's current KaizeN

Diet maintenance, plant-based
Minimalism in progress. Living with less, nut not Kondo-ing your life (tie-in with Ep. 97 - Kon-Mari/Elimination)