Kaizen software for manufacturing, compared.

Is a board or a spreadsheet still enough?

Either way, the method comes first. The kaizen guide covers the three lanes from quick fix to project and how to verify the benefit; the kaizen events guide covers the workshop. Whatever you agree there is what you will set up in any tool.

Ten criteria, and the question to ask

Ask every vendor to take one of your operators' real ideas through the demo, from the phone to the saving, not their sample case.

1. 1

   Operators can submit without a desk

   The best ideas come from the people on the line. If submitting needs a full license, a laptop or an email address, most of them will not.

   Ask: How does an operator without a company email submit an idea, on what device, and what does their license cost?

2. 2

   Stages you can name

   Every plant runs its own path from idea to standard. The tool should follow yours, with an owner at each stage, not force a generic flow.

   Ask: Can I name and order the stages myself, and who moves an idea from one to the next?

3. 3

   A score the team agrees on

   Without a score, the loudest idea wins. A simple, agreed score such as impact and feasibility makes the choice visible.

   Ask: How is an idea scored, can I change the criteria, and can the score be locked once it is approved?

4. 4

   Actions with an owner and a date

   An approved idea is a promise. It needs actions with a responsible person and a due date, or it waits forever in the approved column.

   Ask: Where do I see every approved idea whose actions are late, and who owns them?

5. 5

   Before and after, with evidence

   A photo of the workplace before and after, and what changed, is what convinces the next team and the auditor.

   Ask: Can a kaizen hold before and after photos and text, and does it show up in the report?

6. 6

   Savings someone believes

   Claimed savings that nobody checked lose the program its credibility with finance. Look for a savings figure per kaizen, over a period, that someone validates.

   Ask: How is a saving entered, over what period, and who confirms it before it counts?

7. 7

   Totals across teams and sites

   Leadership wants the number of ideas, implementation rate and savings by area and plant, without merging spreadsheets.

   Ask: Can I see ideas, implemented kaizens and savings by team, site and year on one page?

8. 8

   Connected to the daily system

   A kaizen program on its own island fades. Ideas should show up where the team already works, and the program's results should be KPIs the plant already reviews.

   Ask: Where do kaizens and their actions show up in our daily meetings, and can ideas and savings become KPIs on our dashboards?

9. 9

   Contractors and suppliers can take part

   Some of the best ideas come from maintenance contractors, cleaning crews and suppliers who see the process from outside. A tool for employees only leaves them out.

   Ask: Can people outside our company submit and work on a kaizen, and what can they see?

10. 10

    A price and a timeline you can plan

    Two of the seven tools below publish a price. For the rest, ask for it in writing, including the cost of operator licenses.

    Ask: What does it cost for my number of operators and sites, and how many weeks until the first ideas come in?

Seven tools compared

What each vendor says on its own website, checked on November 13, 2026. "Not described" means we did not find it on the pages linked under each tool, not that the feature is missing. Ask the vendor.

Where TeamGuru fits, and where it does not

TeamGuru runs kaizen as one part of the plant's daily system: operators submit on a light license, the actions sit with the rest of the team's work, and the savings and idea counts become KPIs the plant already reviews. It is the right choice when that connection is what you are missing, not when you want a stand-alone suggestion program with its own app.

Kaizen and light users come with the Enterprise and Unlimited plans. See kaizen, projects and actions and KPI dashboards, or book a demo on your own improvement process from any page.