Kaizen is one of the most important methodologies used to manage continuous improvement in the maquiladora industry located in Ciudad Juarez;
Chihuahua;
Mexico;
however;
it is frequently implemented without obtaining the expected results. This article presents the results of a survey with 37 main tasks associated with Kaizen implementation and it was applied to personnel with responsibilities in continuous improvement programs in companies located in Ciudad Juarez;
Mexico. The survey was validated using a rational validation;
judge validation;
and statistical validation using the Cronbach alpha index. A factor analysis by principal components and varimax rotation was applied for finding the critical success factors for Kaizen;
results indicate that seven factors are the most important: education and training in operators;
communication process;
documentation and evaluation of projects results;
human resources integration;
management commitment;
and customer focus. © 2013 Springer-Verlag London;