Focus on continuous improvement of process, place and people by reducing non-value adding activities

Dubai, April 4, 2005: In its continuous effort to upgrade and enhance its internal processes and thus provide better services to its customers, the Department of Economic Development (DED) announced that it had begun to implement Kaizen, the world-renowned Japanese principle of total quality management (TQM) at its offices.

"In accordance with the vision and guidance of His Highness, General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Defence Minister to establish a culture of continuous improvement in both the public and private sector, we have decided to implement the world-renowned Kaizen programme at the DED," said Mr. Ali Ibrahim, Deputy Director General, Executive Affairs, DED. "The DED is the first government department in the UAE to implement this program across all its divisions and we hope that it will enable our personnel to focus on action oriented improvement," he added.

"The DED strongly believes in the concept of continuous improvement and is on the lookout to constantly enhance and upgrade its systems in order to sustain and develop our image as a customer oriented department. Improvements however, don't happen by strategy alone and we are confident that the principles of Kaizen will enable us to move from strategy to action," continued Mr. Ali Ibrahim.

Founded by Masaaki Imai, in the late 1980s, Kaizen is a fundamental, improvement philosophy, which changes people's lives and their companies' performance, for the better continuously. It is based on the principle of increasing productivity by reducing Muda (non-value adding activities) in the Gemba (workplace).

The Kaizen Institute provides creative, practical, global business support aimed at improving total business performance from concept through implementation to new concept.

Following an initial introductory seminar on the principles of Kaizen to all employees at DED, the management has set up five teams which will oversee the actual implementation of the programme in various divisions.

The pilot phase of implementation will take place in the Business Registration, Compliance and Consumer Awareness and Finance and Administration divisions. Five teams comprising five members each have been set up to oversee the Kaizen implementation process within special projects in these divisions. Three of the teams hail from the Business Registration division while one each is from the other divisions.

"The participants have expressed considerable enthusiasm and interest in the programme and the management is pleased with the significant achievements attained by the teams during the first two days of the implementation," said Ms.Thanaa Mahmoud El Tabie, Institutional Organization Specialist, Excellence & Efficiency Division, DED who has been chosen as the Kaizen Champion from DED.

The teams underwent a comprehensive training on the first day and are currently in the process of actual implementation of the programme in the chosen projects.  The training and implementation of Kaizen at the DED is being conducted by the Africa and Asia Pacific offices of the Kaizen Institute, in co-ordination with their UAE-based partners, the KM Group.

Commenting on the programme, Jayanth Murthy, Director Kaizen Institute, Africa said: "Kaizen is all about action. It is about making improvements by going to the real workplace, collecting real data, meeting real people, understanding real problems and finding real solutions and then implementing them really fast. It has been a great experience working with the DED and the implementation teams who are enthusiastic and eager to ensure the success of this programme in their divisions."

-Ends-

Note to Editors:
About Department of Economic Development (DED):
The Department of Economic Development (DED) was established in March 1992, with the objective to organise, regulate and boost trade and industry within the Emirate of Dubai. The DED has moulded its mission of building a futuristic establishment, in accordance with the vision of the Government of Dubai and in the light of globalisation and the requirements of a digital economy. One of its key functions is to encourage local and foreign investments in commercial and industrial projects, and create the appropriate environment for investors. 

The DED's other functions comprise a wide range of regulatory activities including the preparation and maintenance of a commercial register and the supervision of all organisations. The DED is responsible for regulating the affairs of commercial agents and brokers and commercial advertising offices, in addition to overseeing and controlling the insurance industry in the Emirate. Examining the participation of the government in the private sector and representing the government in companies where it has a stake, also comes under the purview of the DED.

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© Press Release 2005