Hoshin Kanri or in English, Strategy Deployment, can be better understood as its translation is broken down…
- Ho – Direction
- Shin – Compass
- Kan – Control
- Ri – Reason or logic
Hoshin Kanri is a practice of steering an organization and supporting it’s continuous improvement efforts. Hoshin Kanri involves setting strategic goals, a vision, and tactics to achieve the goals and vision at all levels in an organization. It also encompasses a reflection on current performance. Think of it like this – Michigan Tech sets overall vision targets (the Strategic Plan). At each level moving downward, people participate in the strategy deployment process by aligning their units and activities to meet the overall strategic goals. Hosin Kanri is a means for keeping actions, activities and improvements at all levels, in line with the University’s strategic goals.
Strategy Deployment A3s are a Lean tool; A3 referring to an 11” x 17” piece of paper. A3 is a storytelling approach that helps organize the thinking and development of the University’s Strategy Deployment. At Michigan Tech, the department of Auxiliary Services has started using Strategy Deployment A3s to align their activities and tactics. Check it out below.
