How AI mentors accelerated Kaizen performance for Fortive

The need

Fortive was actively driving continuous improvement initiatives through Kaizen events but faced operational friction in its problem-solving process. Teams were spending significant time manually generating PSPs and conducting Pareto analysis, often relying on spreadsheets and fragmented data sources. This manual approach created bottlenecks and slowed down improvement cycles.

At the same time, knowledge required for the PSPs and VSM was scattered across documents and tools. Without centralized access, teams depended on subject matter experts during Kaizen sessions for guidance, creating support overload and limiting scalability.

The client needed a way to standardize knowledge access, automate analysis, and provide real-time guidance to teams running improvement events. We were ready to help.

The solution

Working side-by-side with Fortive teams, we helped the client introduce Agentic Mentors designed to support PSP and VSM activities.

The PSP Mentor provided a conversational interface connected to the organization’s knowledge base, which enables teams to receive instant answers to process-related questions, eliminating delays and inconsistencies.

The system also automated Pareto analysis from uploaded datasets, helping teams quickly identify the most impactful contributing factors. PSR reports could now be automatically generated from Excel files, dramatically reducing manual effort and accelerating reporting cycles.

Meanwhile, a VSM Agent delivered real-time guidance on value stream mapping concepts, FAQs, and best practices. Teams can also access key templates on demand, including Kaizen charters, action plans, and Miro board links, speeding up and structuring both planning and execution. By centralizing knowledge and embedding expert guidance directly into workflows, our solution ensured consistent process adherence. Now, both new and experienced users can execute improvement activities effectively.

The outcome

This positive outcome is the result of a successful collaboration with the Fortive FBS team. With AI-powered mentors supporting improvement initiatives, the organization significantly reduced the manual effort that came with problem solving and analysis. Teams can generate insights faster, conduct data-driven analysis more easily, and complete PSR reports without time-consuming manual work.

The solution delivered over 25% efficiency gains in problem-solving activities, and reduced dependency on SMEs during Kaizen events. Most importantly, the organization created a scalable framework for continuous improvement, empowering teams with the knowledge, tools, and guidance they need right when they need it.

Thanks to our AI Mentors, continuous improvement at Fortive has shifted from being expert-dependent to AI-enabled and organization-wide, boosting efficiency and streamlining processes.