Tag: standardization

Tools

SDCA, what it is, and when you should use it.

SDCA, is it the same as PDCA? The PDCA cycle provides a structure for problem-solving as and continuous improvement. At the beginning of the journey, it is highly probable that the operation needs stabilization.  The three pillars of continuous improvement, 5S, standardization, and waste identification-elimination are the right tools for that job.  To improve a process we need a standard first.

Where there is no standard, there can be no kaizen. Taiichi Ohno

SDCA is used when there is no standard

What happens when there is no standard?  Although a standard does not exist, you know the desired outcome for the process.  When this outcome is not achieved consistently, you can conclude that the process is not stable.  In that case, first, you need to establish the standard. Second, you need to stabilize the process. And third, you start to improve it.  To create the standard, you use SDCA. This is a similar process to PDCA. The steps are Standardize, Do, Check, Act.  

Standardization

Standardization is the practice of setting, communicating, following, and improving standards and standard work.  To establish the standard, which is the first step on this cycle, you will use collective knowledge, the best-known easier and safer way to meet the customer needs.  Remember that we want to provide the customer with the highest quality product or service, at the lowest cost, in a shorter time.  Once the standard exists, it is critical to ensure adherence to it.  Everybody has to follow it every day to achieve consistency.  

The process of establishing the standard is done with the participation of the employees who perform the task. A supervisor or team leader should write the standard. It is recommended to follow the guidelines from the Job Instruction Training and Job Methods.

What happens next?

The last three steps of the SDCA cycle are similar to what we know from PDCA.  Do refer to putting the standard into place, Check means to verify the effectiveness to meet expectations, and Act is to complete all documentation and training necessary to make the standard official.  This last step is now the existing standard and becomes the benchmark for improvement.

Only when the standard is established, followed, and stable, you move on to improve it.  In summary, the standards cycle is, create a new standard, stabilize, improve, repeat.

Tools

SDCA, what it is, and when you should use it.

SDCA, is it the same as PDCA? The PDCA cycle provides a structure for problem-solving as and continuous improvement. At the beginning of the journey, it is highly probable that the operation needs stabilization.  The three pillars of continuous improvement, 5S, standardization, and waste identification-elimination are the right tools for that job.  To improve a process we need a standard first.

Where there is no standard, there can be no kaizen. Taiichi Ohno

SDCA is used when there is no standard

What happens when there is no standard?  Although a standard does not exist, you know the desired outcome for the process.  When this outcome is not achieved consistently, you can conclude that the process is not stable.  In that case, first, you need to establish the standard. Second, you need to stabilize the process. And third, you start to improve it.  To create the standard, you use SDCA. This is a similar process to PDCA. The steps are Standardize, Do, Check, Act.  

Standardization

Standardization is the practice of setting, communicating, following, and improving standards and standard work.  To establish the standard, which is the first step on this cycle, you will use collective knowledge, the best-known easier and safer way to meet the customer needs.  Remember that we want to provide the customer with the highest quality product or service, at the lowest cost, in a shorter time.  Once the standard exists, it is critical to ensure adherence to it.  Everybody has to follow it every day to achieve consistency.  

The process of establishing the standard is done with the participation of the employees who perform the task. A supervisor or team leader should write the standard. It is recommended to follow the guidelines from the Job Instruction Training and Job Methods.

What happens next?

The last three steps of the SDCA cycle are similar to what we know from PDCA.  Do refer to putting the standard into place, Check means to verify the effectiveness to meet expectations, and Act is to complete all documentation and training necessary to make the standard official.  This last step is now the existing standard and becomes the benchmark for improvement.

Only when the standard is established, followed, and stable, you move on to improve it.  In summary, the standards cycle is, create a new standard, stabilize, improve, repeat.

Daily & Events CI

What are the Kaizen’s pillars?

kaizen pillars

Kaizen or continuous improvement is the daily practice of creating small changes using low-cost common-sense solutions.  Kaizen’s pillars or major activities are 5S, standardization, and waste elimination.

Where there is no standard, there can be no improvement.  For these reasons, standards are the basis for both maintenance and improvement

Misaaki Imai

5S is the first of the Kaizen’s pillars

Housekeeping and 5S are basic activities for any continuous improvement effort.  For instance, employees acquire self-discipline by practicing 5S daily.  Without discipline, it is impossible to sustain a continuous improvement culture.  Also, 5S helps to create a visual workplace.

In general, people feel uncomfortable when the problems are visible. Therefore, it is normal to hide or not uncover them to avoid undesired questions from the boss or dealing with them. However, you cannot fix what you cannot see. 5S and visual management make the out-of-standard situation easy to recognize. The objective is to see the problems and correct them as soon as possible.

Standardization is another kaizen’s major activity

When we fail to achieve the expected results, it is because the process fails.  Many times, it fails because there is no standard.  Each individual has a way to do things.  Standard work is the safest, highest quality, and most efficient way to execute a particular task.  Standardization is the practice of setting, communicating, following, and improving standards and standard work.  The best way to achieve consistent results and minimize mistakes is to follow the standard work.  

To improve the results, we have to improve the process.  But we need to have standards in place before we try to improve it.  That is why standardization is one of the earlier steps on the lean journey.  Visual management is a way to standardize. It helps to recognize defects, inventory, waiting times, and other types of waste.  Waste elimination is a cost-effective way to improve processes and reduce operating costs.

The first steps on the lean journey are to stabilize the process, create standards, and visual management.  Process stabilization is achieved by practicing 5S and waste identification.  Standards produce a clear image of the desired condition.  You cannot fix what you don’t see. By making conditions out of standard visible, 5S, standards, and waste elimination are the pillars of kaizen or continuous improvement.

Standard Work

Standardization and problems, how to create standard work to reduce problems?

In continuous improvement, we define a problem as a deviation from the standard.  That is a difference between what should be happening and what is actually happening.  That gap is a problem.  Standardization is the practice of setting, communicating, following, and improving standards and standard work.

But what happens when there are no standards?  How do you know that you have a problem?  Normally you know because a situation that does not feel right is jumping at you, other times those situations are screaming at you.  Those screams are usually in the form of complaints, delays, errors, or performance variation.  How do you choose where to start?

There are different prioritization criteria that you can use to determine what process you will tackle first.  You can choose the process based on volume, the effect it has on the problem you are looking at, or how much influence it has over the cost of operation.  If you never create a standard before, my advice is to start with a small process.  This will give you the chance to learn the basics before digging into a bigger problem.

The development of a standard begins with the problem we are trying to solve.  What is the target condition?  What should be happening?  What can you do to ensure you met the target condition every time?  Do not try to set your current process as the standard, if you have problems it is obvious that the current process needs improvements.  That is why you need to understand the current situation, find the root cause of the problems, and improve the current process before creating standard work.  In general, the following are the steps to create standard work.

  1. Understand the process, break down the job & question every detail
  2. Develop a new method for performing the job
  3. Run the process and observe results
  4. If it is necessary, adapt the process and go back to step 4.
  5. When you find the best method, create the standard

Standard work does not make any good if it is not communicated.  For that reason, training is the next logical step.  While creating the standard, engage the help of some members of the team.  They have the knowledge and experience that will facilitate the creation of the standard.  Also, this would be a teaching opportunity to develop their skills.  Train supervisors, team leaders, and other members of the team.  Use visual management if it is possible and have the standard work available for reference.

Now that you have standard work for that process, identify the next process, and keep improving.  Standard work is the foundation for improvements, they provide the baseline to process improvements.  Once established, stabilized it, and improve it!