How GAF Scaled Factory Knowledge with Poka-Powered Kaizen Events
Company Profile
Building Materials
North America
20 active (out of 30), aiming for 100% by 2026
GAF’s Results with Poka
Work instructions
approved
Digital form
submissions
Employees trained
via Kaizen events
Created through
Kaizen
Skills created through
Kaizen
of Kaizen output was
frontline-created content
- Content reuse enabled early training at Peru and Valdosta plants
- Globally applicable content now in development across quality, safety, onboarding, and more
Capturing Knowledge Before It Walks Out the Door
With over 4,800 employees across 30 sites, GAF was rapidly approaching a tipping point. Long-time operators were retiring, and decades of operational wisdom risked vanishing with them.
SOPs were often static, hidden in binders or trapped in systems like AODocs, which lacked support for video, structured skill tracking or scalable workflows.
“We were losing tribal knowledge,” said Lauren Fourt, GAF Business System Lead. “And we needed a digital, standardized way to capture and scale it.”
Deploying Kaizen to Accelerate Poka Adoption
When early content creation stalled due to bottlenecks, GAF took a novel approach: apply Kaizen methodology to drive documentation efforts.
Each Kaizen event ran for 2–3 full days, kicking off with half a day of training followed by hands-on practice. The goal? Equip teams with Poka skills and give them dedicated time to create valuable frontline content.
The results speak volumes:
- 11 Kaizen events held since July 2023
- ~25 cumulative event days
- 140+ participants, 40% hourly
- 500+ work instructions and 50+ skills created
Beyond the numbers, the engagement was clear. Participants weren’t just attending—they were leading.
“Half the content created was by the frontline, on their own initiative,” said Tiff Gassert, Production Superintendent.
“The fact that we came together to do this and bring innovation to the plant was amazing,” shared Darkquarius Woods, Operator.
Building Confidence Through Simplicity
Skepticism faded fast during the events. Participants were trained using a fun paper-airplane exercise to simulate filming a process, uploading it to Poka and building out the steps. Tools like Harvey Balls were used to track progress in real time, turning completion into a visual motivator.
“I didn’t think you could write a work instruction from a video, but you absolutely can—and it was actually pretty easy,” said Tim Jones, Production Manager.
By day two, most participants doubled or tripled the number of work instructions they were producing—clear evidence that confidence came with hands-on practice.
Extending the Value: From Startups to Global Strategy
Kaizen events weren’t the only way GAF scaled its knowledge-sharing efforts.
For two new plant startups—Peru, IL and Valdosta, GA—teams proactively copied and reused content from similar facilities, giving operators early access to job instructions even before commissioning began.
Now, as GAF prepares to launch its first new shingle site in 30 years (targeting 2027), they’ve assembled a cross-site task force to do the same: cherry-pick, create and preload content into Poka to ensure a smoother ramp-up from day one.
Simultaneously, GAF is building a library of global content across:
The goal: enable every plant to go live with ready-made documentation and tie all learning to a global skills tracking dashboard for better cross-site workforce planning.
We’re not just rolling out software. This is about how we train, how we improve and how we support each other.
Lauren Fourt
GAF Business System Lead
Overcoming Resistance and Transitioning from Legacy Systems
As with many digital rollouts, some teams hesitated. Concerns ranged from “we don’t have time” to “our content isn’t ready,” or discomfort with abandoning newer platforms like AODocs (still in use for less than two years at some sites).
“Perfectionism is your enemy,” said Fourt. “Even if you only have enough content for one role, get it out there. Let people start using it.”
To reinforce this mindset, GAF emphasized that Poka would own frontline documentation going forward—while other systems would support non-operational use cases. And with each Kaizen event, the resistance lessened.
Real Engagement, Real Results
Three years into its journey, GAF’s transformation with Poka has taken deep root:
- Over 3,200 work instructions approved
- More than 86,000 forms submitted
- 20 sites actively using Poka, with a target of 100% by 2026
- Work instructions updated, reviewed and shared across plants
- Skills tracked, audits streamlined, and frontline confidence elevated
Even more notable: the culture shift. Operators now create content, validate it and use it daily. Many sites report increased enthusiasm for digital tools—and even fun.
“We’re not just rolling out software,” said Fourt. “This is about how we train, how we improve, and how we support each other.”
Advice to Other Manufacturers
For companies looking to replicate GAF’s success, Fourt offers practical advice:
“Keep it simple. Make the videos real. Keep the forms short. Give people a reason to log in every day—and make sure they know it’s their tool, not just corporate’s.”
Conclusion: Scaling More Than Content
With 3,300 licenses already in place and full rollout projected in the coming year, GAF has made Poka part of its digital DNA. From frontline-led Kaizen to global content strategy, what began as a tool to capture tribal knowledge has evolved into a platform for continuous learning and operational excellence.
“We’re partnering with Poka to grow together,” said Fourt. “This is just the beginning.”
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