Kanban
Kanban is a lean production scheduling system designed to improve efficiency by controlling inventory and workflow. It uses visual signals—often cards or electronic signals—to trigger production or replenishment only when needed, thereby reducing waste and overproduction.
Kanban Board
A Kanban board is a visual management tool that displays work items as they progress through different stages of a process. Typical setups include columns such as "To Do," "In Progress," and "Done." It is widely used in agile project management, software development, and lean manufacturing to enhance visibility, prioritize tasks, and improve team collaboration.
Kaikaku
Kaikaku refers to radical or breakthrough change in an organization’s processes or systems. Unlike continuous improvement (kaizen), kaikaku involves significant, transformative changes often implemented over a short period, resulting in dramatic leaps in performance.
Kaizen
Kaizen is a Japanese term that means "continuous improvement." It is a philosophy and set of practices focused on making small, incremental changes in processes and work environments. The goal is to enhance efficiency, quality, and overall performance by involving employees at all levels in problem-solving and improvement.
Kaizen Blitz
Also known as a rapid improvement event, a kaizen blitz is an intensive, short-term project where a cross-functional team works collaboratively to analyze, redesign, and improve a specific process or area. The blitz aims to achieve significant improvements quickly and lays the foundation for sustained continuous improvement.
Kaplan-Meier Estimator
The Kaplan-Meier estimator is a non-parametric statistic used to estimate the survival function from lifetime data. It is commonly applied in medical research, reliability engineering, and other fields to determine the probability of survival beyond specified time points, typically displayed as a step-function survival curve.
Key Performance Indicator (KPI)
A Key Performance Indicator (KPI) is a quantifiable metric used to evaluate the success of an organization, project, or process in achieving its strategic and operational objectives. KPIs enable objective performance monitoring over time and support data-driven decision-making.
Key Process Input Variable (KPIV)
A Key Process Input Variable (KPIV) is a critical factor in a process that directly influences the quality or effectiveness of the output. By controlling and managing KPIVs, organizations can ensure consistent process performance and achieve the desired outcomes.
Key Process Output Variable (KPOV)
A Key Process Output Variable (KPOV) is a measurable attribute that indicates the performance or quality of a process's output. Monitoring KPOVs helps determine whether the process meets its performance standards and quality criteria.
Key Product Characteristic
A Key Product Characteristic is an essential attribute or feature of a product that is critical to its performance, safety, or quality. These characteristics are rigorously controlled during production and inspection to ensure the product meets customer expectations and regulatory requirements.
Kruskal-Wallis Test
The Kruskal-Wallis test is a non-parametric statistical method used to compare the medians of three or more independent groups. It is particularly useful when the assumptions for one-way ANOVA (such as normal distribution) are not met, providing an alternative for analyzing differences among group distributions.
KPI (Repeated)
See the definition for Key Performance Indicator (KPI) above.
KPIV (Repeated)
Refer to the definition for Key Process Input Variable (KPIV) above.
KPOV (Repeated)
Refer to the definition for Key Process Output Variable (KPOV) above.
KRA (Key Result Area)
A Key Result Area (KRA) identifies a strategic domain or set of activities within an organization that is essential for achieving its objectives. KRAs outline the critical areas where results must be delivered, serving as a basis for performance assessments and ensuring that team efforts align with overall strategic goals.