Hoshin Kanri

Hoshin Kanri is the management and control of the organisation's strategic direction. Often shortened to Hoshin or referred to as Hoshin Planning and Policy Deployment it utilises a cascading system to involve all levels of an organisation in strategic planning.

Although it is often associated with quality systems Hoshin Kanri has far wider implications and uses in achieving alignment with corporate objectives and improving focus of the entire organisation.

Some commentators refer to Hoshin Kanri as the Deming or PDCA Cycle in operation. This is fine if you want to align tactics rather than strategy. For strategic purposes the Boyd or OODA cycle is more appropriate as it is more outward looking and seeks to get in front of the competitor's decision making loop. Hoshin Kanri will help to speed up the Boyd cycle by providing greater alignment and faster communication.