# Kaizen Event Charter Template (Rapid Improvement Event)

> Source: https://netray.co/tools/kaizen-event-charter-template
> Publisher: Netray (netray.co), AI and integration engineering for ERP and manufacturing systems.
> Section: Free Tools

## Short answer

Fill in the fields and generate a one-page charter for a kaizen blitz, with scope, targets, team, timeline and approvals.

## Category

manufacturing

## Industry

Discrete Manufacturing

## Audience

- Lean practitioner
- Continuous improvement manager
- Plant manager

## Tool

**Kind:** template

**Output:** document

**Fields:**

#### Event title

**Key:** title

**Type:** text

**Default:** Reduce changeover time on CNC cell 4

#### Site and area

**Key:** site

**Type:** text

**Default:** Plant 2, Machining, Cell 4

#### Executive sponsor

**Key:** sponsor

**Type:** text

**Default:** Plant Manager

#### Event leader

**Key:** leader

**Type:** text

**Default:** Continuous Improvement Lead

#### Start date

**Key:** start

**Type:** date

**Default:** 2026-11-09

#### End date

**Key:** end

**Type:** date

**Default:** 2026-11-13

#### Problem statement

**Key:** problem

**Type:** textarea

**Default:** Changeover on Cell 4 averages 95 minutes, causing batches of 800 pieces and 11 days of WIP between machining and assembly. Late orders to the assembly line occurred 7 times last quarter.

#### In scope

**Key:** scope_in

**Type:** textarea

**Default:** Setup process for the two CNC lathes and the tool presetter, from last good piece to first good piece.

#### Out of scope

**Key:** scope_out

**Type:** textarea

**Default:** Machine replacement, changes to customer drawings, ERP routing structure.

#### Primary metric

**Key:** metric

**Type:** text

**Default:** Changeover time (minutes)

#### Baseline

**Key:** baseline

**Type:** text

**Default:** 95 minutes (average of 12 changeovers)

#### Target

**Key:** target

**Type:** text

**Default:** 45 minutes or less

#### Team members

**Key:** team

**Type:** textarea

**Default:** Setup technician, 2 operators, manufacturing engineer, quality technician, maintenance technician, planner

#### Constraints and risks

**Key:** constraints

**Type:** textarea

**Default:** Production must continue on Cell 3; budget for fixtures limited to 3,000 USD; customer deliveries cannot slip.

#### Gate

**Key:** approver

**Type:** select

**Options:**

- Charter draft
- Approved by sponsor
- Event complete
- 30 day follow-up

**Default:** Charter draft

**Blocks:**

#### Kaizen Event Charter

**Body:** Event: {{title}}
Site and area: {{site}}
Dates: {{start}} to {{end}}
Executive sponsor: {{sponsor}}
Event leader: {{leader}}
Status: {{approver}}

#### Problem Statement

**Body:** {{problem}}

#### Scope

**Body:** In scope: {{scope_in}}

Out of scope: {{scope_out}}

#### Objective and Measure

**Table:**

**Columns:**

- Metric
- Baseline
- Target
- Actual

**Rows:**

**0:** {{metric}}

**1:** {{baseline}}

**2:** {{target}}

**0:** Safety incidents during event

**1:** 0

**2:** 0

**0:** 5S score of area

#### Team

**Body:** {{team}}

#### Constraints and Risks

**Body:** {{constraints}}

#### Event Schedule

**Table:**

**Columns:**

- Day
- Focus
- Output

**Rows:**

**0:** Day 1

**1:** Train team, go to gemba, baseline data

**2:** Current-state measures and video

**0:** Day 2

**1:** Analyze waste, identify ideas

**2:** Prioritized idea list

**0:** Day 3

**1:** Trial and implement

**2:** Changes made and tested

**0:** Day 4

**1:** Standardize and measure

**2:** Updated standard work

**0:** Day 5

**1:** Report out

**2:** Presentation and 30 day action list

#### Approvals

**Signatures:**

- Executive sponsor
- Event leader
- Area manager
- Finance (if spend exceeds limit)

**Notes:** A charter should fit on one page. Keep the scope narrow enough to finish in the event window. Adapt wording to your site's improvement system.

## Content

**Intro:** A kaizen event succeeds or fails before the first day, in the charter. This template turns the usual fuzzy request into a one-page agreement on the problem, scope, measure, team and schedule. Fill in the fields, export to PDF or Word, and get the sponsor's signature before the team assembles.

**Sections:**

#### How to fill in the charter

**Body:** Start with the problem statement and write it in facts: what happens, where, how often and with what effect. Avoid solutions in the problem statement. Choose one primary metric with a baseline measured before the event and a target the team can reach in a week. Name the scope boundaries in both directions, which prevents the event from drifting into a redesign. Pick a cross-functional team of five to eight people with at least two who work in the process every day.

**Bullets:**

- One metric, one baseline, one target
- Include operators who run the process, not only engineers
- State what is out of scope to protect the event
- Confirm the sponsor has released the team from normal duties

#### Structure of a typical five day event

**Body:** Day one trains the team and establishes the current state at the gemba. Day two analyzes waste and generates ideas. Day three is trial and change, ideally with quick, low-cost fixes. Day four standardizes the new method and measures the result. Day five is the report out and the 30-day action list for items not finished. The schedule in the template follows this pattern, and you can compress it for a three-day event.

#### Making results stick

**Body:** Many events produce a good week and then slip back. Counter this by writing the new method into standard work, updating ERP routings and setup times if they change, and scheduling a 30-day follow-up with the sponsor. Keep the open action list visible on an area board with owners and dates. Record the savings in the language finance uses, for example hours released or inventory reduced, and avoid claiming savings you cannot trace.

#### Common mistakes

**Body:** Choosing a vague topic such as improve productivity, skipping baseline measurement, inviting too many people, and treating the event as a project that engineering will finish later are the usual causes of disappointing results. Another pitfall is leaving the sponsor out; without a sponsor, barriers such as maintenance support or quality approval stall mid-week.

**Cta:** If your event results need to flow into ERP routings, setup times and standard costs, we can help automate those updates with approval steps.

**Faq:**

#### What is a kaizen event charter?

**Answer:** It is a short document that defines the problem, scope, goals, team, schedule and sponsor of a rapid improvement event. It aligns everyone before the event starts and gives leadership something to approve and review.

#### How long should a kaizen event be?

**Answer:** Most are three to five days. Smaller, well-bounded problems can be solved in two or three days. Larger flow redesigns may need a preparation week and a longer implementation period.

#### Who should sign the charter?

**Answer:** At minimum the executive sponsor, the event leader and the area manager. Add finance if spending is expected, and quality if the change touches validated or customer-approved processes.

#### Is a kaizen charter the same as an A3?

**Answer:** No. The charter plans an event and its scope. An A3 documents the thinking and results for a problem. Many teams use a charter to start and an A3 to report the outcome.

## Search terms

kaizen event charter template, kaizen charter example, kaizen blitz template, rapid improvement event charter, kaizen project charter word, kaizen event planning template, kaizen scope and goals form, continuous improvement event form

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