QualiPedia: Hoshin Kanri

Hoshin kanri, or hoshin for short, refers to policy deployment. It is the method used to deploy the overall control system and total quality management (TQM). Roughly translated, hoshin kanri means “management and control of the organization's focus.”

Companies need to create a policy deployment to successfully implement their quality control program. In other words, hoshin kanri is the system of management used to implement the quality control program and TQM. It provides a planning structure for business processes to help companies achieve the desired level of performance.

Hoshin kanri can be illustrated on a chart and is usually laid out as a matrix. As a result, it is possible to view top management policies and targets. At each level of the company’s hierarchy, the policy is interpreted through procedures, goals, and actions for the next level down.
With hoshin kanri, the company’s vision and mission can be explained as a set of coherent, understandable, and achievable procedures and actions.

References

Hoshin Kanri by Yoji Akao (Productivity Press, 2004)

www.mcts.com/Hoshin-Kanri.htm

www.tqe.com/hoshinTR.html

About The Author

Raissa Carey

Raissa Carey is Quality Digest Daily’s online editor.