INFORMATION SHEET 4.

4-1
(L0 4 Follow standardized work process and procedures)

Learning Objectives:
After reading this INFORMATION SHEET, you must be able to execute
correctly the procedure in Follow standardized work process and procedures
Introduction:
I. Standardized work process and procedures

STANDARDIZED WORK
A. Standardized work is one of the most powerful but least used lean tools. By
documenting the current
best practice,
standardized work forms
the baseline for
continuous
improvement. As the
standard is improved,
the new standard
becomes the baseline for
further improvements,
and so on. Improving
standardized work is a
never-ending process.

• Basically,
standardized work
consists of three elements:

1. Take time, which is the rate at which products must be made in a

process to meet customer demand.
2. The precise work sequence in which an operator performs tasks
within take time.
3. The standard inventory, including units in machines, required to keep
the process operating smoothly.
❖ Establishing standardized work relies on collecting and recording data on a few
forms. These forms are used by engineers and front-line supervisors to design
the process and by operators to make improvements in their own jobs. In
this workshop, you'll learn how to use these forms and why it will be difficult
to make your lean implementations "stick" without standardized work.

• Benefits of standardized work:

➢ Reduces variability,

➢ Helps your people

➢ Increases safety

➢ Improvement continuous improvement

1. Reduces variability
➢ By standardizing the most efficient way to perform processes, standardized
work reduces variations in the output. Work becomes predictable: quality,
costs, required inventory, and delivery times can be anticipated.

2. Helps your people

➢ Shop floor operators are sometimes under the impression that their highly
variable work cannot be standardized, or that implementing standards will make
their work boring. Enforcing standardized work increases efficiency, thus
making more time for creative work.

➢ Standardized work also helps operators structure their work. It removes

pressure on operators by reducing the stress of performing tasks improperly.
.
3. Increases safety
➢ Standardized work, by definition, establishes the safest method to go perform
tasks. When operators systematically execute tried-and-true methods, the
number of injuries decreases, and risks are averted.

4. Improves continuous improvement

➢ Another Lean principle, is the
concept of continuous
improvement. Standardized
work provides a basis for
Kaizen. Indeed, it is only
possible to evaluate
improvements objectively
when existing procedures are
standardized and

16
 documented. As standards improve, the new standard becomes the basis for
further improvements: improving standardized work is a never-ending process.

II. FOLLOW 6 STEPS TO APPLY FOR STANDARDIZED WORK

1. Collect data on your current operations

➢ The first step is to establish your work sequence and Take time. Through
the connected tools and cloud computing, modern manufacturers can
collect data automatically
➢ Manufacturers gain real-time visibility into their operations, meaning
they know exactly how tasks are currently executed.

2. Notice variations and issues

➢ Often there are several ways to perform a task, but only one of these ways
uses resources–materials, machines, and operators–in the most efficient
way possible.
➢ Look at the data you have collected, and notice variations. Are there
workers that perform the same tasks, but the output varies greatly? Are
some operators taking longer than Take time? Could some tasks be
combined? Where are safety or quality issues occurring?

3. Find the most efficient way to run your operations

➢ This is where you want to use Lean tools to optimize your work sequence
and procedures. For example, you could use value stream mapping to
identify non-value adding steps to mistake-proof your processes. Your
goal is to find methods that are practical, useful to everyone, and free of
difficulty.
4. Document everything
➢ There are many ways you can go about doing this. One of the simplest
ways is in digital work instructions. Media-rich and interactive, they guide
operators through processes step by step.
➢ Digital work instructions ensure that operators follow each and every step
properly, Therefore, as your standardized work evolves, you can easily
keep it documented and up-to-date.
5. Adapt your training programs
➢ It is important that employees understand the new standard procedures and
adhere to them. This might require re-training current workers. Furthermore,
you want to make sure that your new employee training programs are based
on your standardized work.

6. Continuously improve the standard

➢ A common mistake is to think that after establishing standardized work,
you are done.

17
➢ Once standardized work is implemented, it becomes a lot
easier to identify abnormalities and issues. Perform root-cause
analysis for every problem that occurs, and create a new
standard that solves the problem.

18