Definition
The staff who led the improvement and sustained the results for three months.
In detail
A Kaizen team leader is a person who has led a Kaizen event and sustained the results for three months. This role addresses the need to ensure improvement activities produce not only short-term results but also lasting consolidation, preventing regression. Unlike Kaizen week participants, the team leader takes full responsibility from preparation, execution, to follow-up, and is key to the success of the improvement activity. Compared to a Kaizen Leader (KLL), the team leader focuses more on leading a single event rather than long-term certification. Typical outputs include sustained tracking reports of improvement results, enhanced team capabilities, and a culture of continuous improvement.
Example in practice
Zhang led a 5S kaizen week, then spent three months sustaining and continuing to improve the results: he inspected the site weekly, logged deviations from standard, and organized small adjustments with the team, so the 5S score not only held above target but kept climbing. After three months, this record of "led a kaizen and sustained it for three months with a positive trend" earned Zhang the Kaizen Team Leader (team-lead tier) qualification, and he was recommended for higher-level kaizen leader training. This role ensured that improvement was not a one-time activity but a starting point for continuous improvement.