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These standard procedures should be visuallydefined in the work area and,
thus, are self-explanatory and need not be documented in the standard work. For
example, a kanban card includes all the information related to its use, and the stan-
dards are defined within the content of the card. Likewise, the defined agreements
between operations will be visually apparent in the work area. Note that the items
mentioned here are likely to change often as process improvements are made. It
would become a paperwork nightmare to attempt to document these standards
and constantly update them as conditions in the work area change. Develop a
visual system to convey the standards, and maintain the visual awareness.
Myths of Standardized Work
There are many myths regarding standardized work in the world outside of Toyota.
It is frustrating to see the amount of time and effort wasted by companies that fall
into one or more of these myth traps and attempt to create a system based on them.
We will attempt to debunk as many of these myths as possible in the hope that your
efforts can be directed effectively toward the goal of process improvement.
Myth 1: If we have standardized work, anyone can learn everything
about the job by looking at the documents.
We’re not sure how this myth originated, but it is probably caused by Toyota’s
description of standardized work. During Toyota plant tours, standardized
work is touted as the process used by operators to define their work method,
and of course it is documented and posted. Perhaps this is misinterpreted as a
fully detailed description of the work and associated standards. Anyone who has
read the sheets would see that the work description explains the work elements
in basic terms—not nearly enough information to read and fully understand the
job.
Within Toyota, the job instruction method (explained in Chapter 11) is used
to transfer complete knowledge of a job to a team member. This is a lengthy
process, since there is much to learn to become an exceptionally qualified asso-
ciate. Anyone who believes that a job is simple enough to distill down to a few
sheets of paper underestimates the competency level necessary of their employees.
We have never been in any work environment where the work is so simple that
“everything you need to know” is on a few sheets of paper.
Myth 2: If we have standardized work, we can bring anyone off the
street and train them to do the job in a few minutes.
Refer to Myth 1. This may be possible for a small portion of a job or for a spe-
cific task, but to become a “complete” employee with a full understanding of
the work takes considerable effort. We often hear this myth in conjunction with
a reference to bringing “monkeys” off the street that could be trained quickly.