Knowledge Base
We offer a variety of curated content to go deeper into the principles we trust, all in one place.
Kaas Resources
These are tools we have created to remove waste within our own company.
Kaizen Form
This is our tool for developing deep problem-solving skills together.
7 Wastes Audit Card
The 7 wastes are the weeds in the garden that choke out joy. These flashcards are designed to help teams find the 7 wastes within their own area of influence.
Gemba Walk Cards
This is a daily habit among our management team where we walk around the shop at 8:57a to show face, observe our operation, and share improvements via kaizen presentations. To support this habit, we built audit cards.
Daily Huddle
We have a daily huddle via Zoom to communicate via flow end-to-end.
Destination Guide
This is the visual tool that we developed to be a centerpiece in conversations around our team member’s growth path and clearly communicate our organization’s structure.
Connect Grow Go
This is our home-grown, principle-based people development program.
External Resources
These are tools we have created to remove waste within our own company.
Videos
Here are some videos that we have collected from a variety of different topics such as leadership, improvement, and innovation.
Bookshelf
Here are some books we have read on a variety of different topics such as leadership, improvement, and innovation.7 wastes within their own area of influence.
Podcasts
Here are some podcasts that we have listened to on a variety of different topics such as leadership, improvement, and innovation.
Intro to Continuous Improvement
This is a great place to start for those newer to Continuous Improvement or Kaizen.
The 7 Wastes
The 7 wastes are the weeds that choke out the good parts of work. Removing the 7 wastes will give us improvements in lead time, cost, quality, and most of all, joy.
Kaizen
Kaizen means change for the good. When applied correctly, Kaizen reduces waste while humanizing the workplace. Kaizen is for everyone in an organization—from the CEO to the front lines.
Truth Bit Pull
What is truth, bit, pull? It’s the Kaas Tailored way of simplifying what we’ve learned from Kaizen, various lean tools, Lean Improvement, and the Toyota Way.
One Piece Flow
One-piece flow, also called continuous flow, refers to the way products move from one step in the process to the next—moving them efficiently by planning workflow based on the product and its needs, instead of the organization or equipment.
Standard Work
Standard work is the agreed upon way that a task, process, or system should operate and is the foundation for improvement.
Learning Series
Here are a couple of learning series that we hosted where we went deeper on our tools & systems.
Daily Management System Series
In the fall of 2020, we hosted a series on our Daily Management System.
Problem Solving Series
In the fall of 2021, we hosted a series on Problem Solving and Improvement systems.
Problem Solving Series
In 2022, we began hosting a series on our daily habits that influence desired outcomes.
Podcast Interviews
Interviews with our President, Jeff Kaas, all in one spot.
We kick off Season 2 with a local Seattle business and family man that has spent his career operationalizing purpose. With his help, we seek to understand frameworks for implementing purpose into the fabric of an organization where it matters most-- the people.
In this episode, Jeff Kaas, President of Kaas Tailored and a 20-year Lean practitioner, discusses how he became interested in Lean after joining his family’s business. He talked about how he implemented Lean in his first ten years vs when he realized the value of people.
In this episode, Jeff Kaas, President of Kaas Tailored and a 20-year Lean practitioner, discusses how he became interested in Lean after joining his family’s business. He talked about how he implemented Lean in his first ten years vs when he realized the value of people.
Today’s guest is Jeff Kaas. I’ve had several guests of the podcast encourage me that I needed to speak to our guest today. When I reached out to Jeff about being on the podcast, he emailed me back and said, “Let’s chat first, I want to get to know you.” We ended up having one of the coolest conversations that I’ve had in my lean journey.
The power of principle-based thinking
It is not too often that we hear of a for-profit business putting their employee growth and community contribution as their mission statement. Luckily, not only do these companies exist, but they are shining a light towards a pathway for hope and healing amidst a pandemic.
Have a question or ready to get started, let’s talk.
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