What Is Kaizen Budgeting?

Kaizen budgeting refers to a system that is aimed toward the overall improvement of the processes involved in the running of a business concern. It achieves this by making calculated projections about the overall budget for that particular business concern through the incorporation of expected future costs into a present budget, rather than just basing the entire budget on the current factors. That is to say that the kaizen budgeting method allows the business to make present improvements aimed toward the reduction of projected future total budget costs through the application of methods aimed at preempting the expected factors that will result in such costs. Such may be achieved through various methods that are generally implemented on a stage-by-stage basis rather than trying to achieve this through one massive action that may not yield the desirable result.

One of the methods for the application of kaizen budgeting in present day activities is through the practice of analyzing the various segments involved in a business practice in order to discover any area where improvements can be made. In the area of manufacturing, this would mean the scrutinization of the various stages in the manufacturing process so as to find areas for improvement. Other types of organizations may apply the kaizen budgeting principle through the breaking down of the various departments involved in the business activities with the aim of finding ways to make improvements that will eventually result in a reduction of the projected cost that has been made through the kaizen budgeting. A way of implementing the improvements that will result in the eventual reduction of the projected cost could be through retraining or educating employees on more cost effective ways of doing tasks in the organization with an eye toward reducing waste.

The most important aspects in the use of kaizen budgeting is the acquisition of knowledge regarding expected costs based on present practices and the application of methods toward the reduction of the expected costs. An illustration of this can be seen in the case of a manufacturing company that produces paper products. The application of the kaizen budgeting principle to such an organization would result in the development of practices aimed at the reduction of identified areas of wastage both in materials and in terms of labor. It may also be achieved through the determination of various machinery upgrades that may result in more output and also a reduction in waste.