Standard Work

If the process is done differently each time, you can almost guarantee a deviation in outcome. Training can also be a nightmare if there are several methods to complete the task or process.

It all starts one step at a time. What is one process that you’d like to start with? Who else does this process? If you aren’t the only one that does this process or task, you’ll need input from others. Standardize and document an agreed way to do it.

There is a saying that we learned from our mentor Mark Rosenthal: Organize, Standardize, Stabilize, Optimize.

Before we improve (Optimize), we must first Organize the work (through 5S), Standardize (this is how we are striving to achieve each and every time the process is run), and Stabilize (across the process).

Not quite. While Standard Work does remove our ability to be creative with how we do something, it gives us the space to be creative for the things that we ought to be creative on. Talk to any successful musician or artist, they offer a standardized process for how they make their art. They have a process they follow to get into that head space so that they can create.

To go deeper on Standard Work we recommend subscribing to kaaspass, our virtual subscription.