1. ___Select area and topic
2. ___Determine coleader and the team members.
3. ___Complete Team Charter.
4. ___Ask a few hard questions, e.g.:

— Will this team improve your value stream?
— Will this team improve the area's key measurements?

1. ___Prepare the business case for this improvement event.
2. ___Define the objectives and deliverables expected from the event team.
3. ___Define the measurements and targets for the team. Make sure there are only three or fewer key measurements.
4. ___Review action deliverables, measurements, and targets with the external or internal consultant. Revise if needed.

1. ___Schedule event team meetings for next 2 weeks.
2. ___Schedule meeting to educate stakeholders (ssc/ managers/directors of involved departments).
3. ___Send invitations to join to team members.

Schedule Team Meetings

1. ___Determine actual customer demand.
2. ___Determine backlog or wait times.
3. ___Determine actual output.
4. ___Determine total hours worked to create this output.
5. ___Calculate productivity: output/total hours worked.
6. ___Calculate relevant cycle times.
7. ___Determine top 5–10 problems.
8. ___Review occurrences/complaints in the past 12 months, if applicable.
9. ___Review customer and patient satisfaction comments. List top five issues from complaints, rework, and delays.

1. ___Post announcement about rapid improvement event date, time, and focus.
2. ___Put up a blank flipchart to get suggestions/feedback. Ask questions, clarify, and put these ideas on a list.
3. ___Discuss rapid improvement event in staff meetings. Explain objectives, measurements, and targets.
4. ___Review and confirm team members. Confirm entire week commitment.

Team Meeting

1. ___Team introductions
2. ___Why are we here? What is the scope?
3. ___Lean orientation
4. ___Event schedule, measurements, targets, and action deliverables
5. ___Business case and Team Charter
6. ___Tasks to team for data preparation

1. ___Resolve open items.
2. ___Define clearly the boundaries of the event:

—Who are the customers? What are the outputs? What triggers the area to do something for a customer?
—Who are the suppliers? What are the inputs?
—Prepare additional flowcharts, spaghetti diagrams, layouts, and time studies, as needed.

1. ___Brief the consultant.
2. ___Prepare supplies and logistics for the team:

—Locations and schedules
—Food, supplies

1. ___Review measurements, targets, and objectives.
2. ___Review data collected to date.
3. ___Ask for feedback, try to address concerns.
4. ___Reinforce what's in it for them.
5. ___Establish group norms.
6. ___Discuss roles of team members during week.
7. ___Reconfirm scheduled commitments with each team member, supervisor, etc.