Which statement best describes Kaizen in quality management?

• A. A major one-off project
• B. Continuous examination and improvement of processes
• C. A method to automate all processes
• D. A one-time quality audit

Answer: (B)

Kaizen in quality management is the idea of ongoing, small, incremental improvements to processes. It isn’t about making a single big change or overhauling everything at once. Instead, everyone in the organization looks for tiny, practical tweaks to ways of working, tests them, measures the impact, and builds on what works. This continuous loop keeps quality improving over time and helps reduce waste and variation in how work is done.

Think of Kaizen as a daily mindset: continually seeking ways to do things better, often through quick experiments and short cycles (Plan-Do-Check-Act). It contrasts with a one-off major project, trying to automate all processes, or conducting a single quality audit, which don’t embed ongoing, everyday improvement in the way Kaizen does.