What is Hoshin Kanri and how does it help?

Origins

方針管理

Hoshin Kanri originated in post-war Japan. It can be translated as:

• Policy management
• Compass management
• Direction and administration

Traditionally it’s a 7-step process used in strategic planning in which strategic goals are communicated throughout the company and then put into action.

Whilst it’s intended as a communication tool we have found the thinking is easily adapted easily to make it highly effective for planning, not just commuication.

Key attributes

Hoshin Kanri is visual and holistic, combined with clear measures of progress it is an excellent tool for co-creating and visualising the strategy for an organisation, team, product or individual.

By creating strategic clarity you create a shared understanding of the strategy enabling more effective decision making, that is, separating distractions from opportunities.

Note

If you search online for Hoshin Kanri you will find images of the traditional x-matrix. Whilst there is much in common this playbook uses a different visual structure based on experience working with a range of western clients with an emphasis on using Hoshin Kanri for planning, not just communicating plans.