Focus

It all boils down to focus, says IndustryWeek, with a goal to separate the trivial problems from the important ones, and realize how they relate to your organization’s strategy.

In essence, the strategic goals of your company are set in motion to fuel progress and action at all levels, cutting out the waste typical of organizations with poor communication and inconsistent direction. The end game with Hoshin Kanri training is to get every employee headed in the same direction at the same time. This is done through the alignment of the company’s goals (i.e., Strategy) with middle management plans (i.e., Tactics) and employee work (i.e., Operations).

If you have heard of lean manufacturing techniques in the past, you know they exist to help you as a leader reduce waste, streamline your processes, increase productivity and cut operational costs. This is a related method that you can adapt to the workflow and office culture of your business; in turn, you are able to enjoy greater efficiencies and enhance the quality of the products and services you are able to deliver, according to Forbes. 

Sharing One Vision

Everyone performs their best when they are given a purpose. But they have to know, understand and appreciate what they have to do first. WHY is it all important? A big benefit of Hoshin Kanri training is that it gives people that unfailing sense of purpose, which is the focus and drive they need to meet – and even exceed — specific goals.

As the leader of your company, you can create a culture of shared vision to align with your strategic plan to make sure your employees truly understand why those goals are imperative and how those operational details support each goal along the way. 

Indeed, Hoshin planning supports an organic flow of information that affects the entire company, traveling in a top-down trajectory with results returning from the bottom-up.

Steps for Implementation

This isn’t a concept that happens overnight. That’s why Hoshin planning and training are so important, infused at all levels of your organization. The steps of strategic deployment are as follows:

1. Develop a Strategic Plan

At the core of Hoshin Kanri is development of a strategic plan that top management will use to  guarantee long-range goals: 

• Focus on a few goals: Don’t bite off more than you can chew. It’s best to focus on five or fewer goals to ensure more likelihood of success instead of wasting time and energy on a dozen of them. 
• Remember, a stated or written goal expresses intent. You have to take action for the goal to be implemented. 
• Differentiate between efficiency and effectiveness: Efficiency involves doing things right, yet effectiveness is doing the right things. Strategic goals have to be effective so they can drive your organization to the next level.

2. Come up With Tactics

Mid-level managers develop tactics designed to achieve specified goals, with those goals and strategic plans being understood between all levels.

3. Move Forward

Now is the time for action. On the plant-floor level, supervisors and team leaders determine the operational details so they can set in place the tactics that were previously specified by mid-level managers. 

4. Review and Adjust as Needed

Rather than flow top down, the flow of information will go down up when it comes to information regarding results and progress. This second flow is important because it makes a closed loop system that allows for continuous adjustment and control over the process.

Ultimately, strategy deployment gives all people involved in the process equal input into the outcome, ensuring that the necessary resources exist before any plan is executed. While demanding relentless accountability and follow-up to meet stated objectives, it also delivers results that have been aligned with the organization’s vision to achieve leadership’s desire for growth.