improvement. Doing kaizen before standardizing would be analogous to build-
ing a house on quicksand. You may get it built, but it will be sinking fast!
You may ask, “If standardized work is the foundation for continuous improve-
ment, why don’t we do it first?” This is a good question. Toyota points out that
there are some prerequisites to developing standardized work. They are typi-
callydealt with during the stability phase, and bear repeating here in case you’re
tempted to skip the appetizer and head to the main course. Putting standardized
work ahead of stability will surely create a condition similar to a dog chasing its
tail—you will go round and round but never get the result you want.
Prerequisites of Standardized Work
A degree of stability is needed in each of the three areas listed below before
moving on to standardized work. Unfortunately, there are no definitive measures
that say, “Now you are ready for standardized work.” The best advice we can
give is that if you feel like the dog chasing its tail, the process is not stabilized
enough for standardized work.
1. The work task must be repeatable. If the work is described in “If... then”
terms, it will not be possible to standardize. For example, if the task is
described by saying, “If A happens, then do B, but if C happens, do D,”
and so on, it is not possible to standardize unless these are just a few very
simple rules.
2. The line and equipment must be reliable, and downtime should be minimal.
It is not possible to standardize if the work is constantly interrupted and
the worker is sidetracked.
3. Quality issues must be minimal. The product must have minimal defects
and be consistent in its key parameters. If the worker is constantly correct-
ing defects or struggling with the effects of poor product uniformity—
such as size variation that affects the fit of the part, and thus the time
required—it is not possible to see the true picture of the work.TRAP
A frequent mistake when implementing an “improvement” to
the work is to leave an operator with a new process and with-
draw support too soon, or worse—not to be present when the new
process is tried for the first time! The operator feels dumped on,
is not confident in what to do with the new procedure, and will
view “process improvements” as negative, stressful events.Chapter 6. Establish Standardized Processes and Procedures 125