Foundation of Continuous Improvement

Standards are the baseline from which all continuous improvement activities can be measured. An example I often use is that of an order picker in a Toyota distribution center. I am not sure if the facts I use are correct, but that is inconsequential because what is important is the concept. Standard work for order pickers is 12 picks every 15 minutes. If in any 15-minute period they do not make their standard, they have to signal their supervisor. The supervisor immediately responds and approaches the order picker not to ask why he did not work to standard, but instead to ask what process problem, or problems, prevented him from making standard. Was the inventory count incorrect Was the inventory in the wrong location These and other questions will be asked until the problem is solved. This short, simple example demonstrates three distinct principles of lean respect for people, standard work, and a continuous improvement culture. Having defined standards that everyone understands enables the other two principles. Unlike this example, the actual workday of many supervisors is one spent firefighting rather than focusing on continual Improvement. Moving from one problem to the next fills their days because standards are unknown or not communicated. 

Recently in the lean community, two different methodologies related to standard work have been receiving focus. One is the Training Within Industry (TWI) and the other is manager standard work. TWFs three programs, job relations, job instruction, and job methods, work together to help supervisors 

These are but a few examples of safety tasks that can, if scheduled, acted upon, and then reported on, develop a safety standard work culture within a facility. This safety standard work culture will then drive the continual improvement of safety. 

TWI has its roots in the hands-on, massive work training effort required during World War II. It has taken on new life with the lean community s understanding of the requirement for baseline standards against which to measure your lean gains. This old concept of standards for the methods used for hands-on work and the training to perform those tasks has been extrapolated into standard work for managers—a relatively new concept. 

The value of standard work for managers is the early-on requirement for managers to sit down with their next level manager and decide what is important. This discussion will force the weeding out of some tasks and a 

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