Standardized work is often misunderstood as rigidity or control. In Lean thinking, it’s the opposite: a shared baseline that makes problems visible, supports learning, and enables continuous improvement. This archive explores standardized work as a living system—one that evolves through observation, experimentation, and respect for people.
Examples range from healthcare and service work to manufacturing and everyday systems, showing how clear standards reduce frustration, improve quality, and make meaningful improvement possible.
Following up my earlier post about instructions for scooping ice cream, and key points, a blog reader , Bryan Lund submitted this commentary. Click here to download a Word doc version of the “Job Breakdown Sheet” that he created for…
No, not for home consumption, but I ended up with a 3 gallon tub of ice cream (used for a Lean batching vs single-piece flow demonstration in a work setting). I was a bit surprised to see such specific “standard…
Marketplace: Better health care through better information This commentator points out some shocking waste in the healthcare system: Although cancer doctors work long hours, they still fail, frequently, to provide therapies the medical evidence says the patient needs. Sometimes the…
Toyota Talent Update 5/6/07: The book is now shipping from Amazon I had the pleasure of reading a pre-publication version of this new book from Prof. Jeffrey Liker and David Meier. You know Jeff from The Toyota Way (and my…
globeandmail.com: Private sector health care: Think quality, regulation I don’t think healthcare and quality is a “Private vs. Public” debate. As we’ll inevitably have debate during the 2008 U.S. Presidential election, I think it’s important to keep quality in mind…
In addition to my “Standard Work” for creating the blog, there are some good practices to share as a blog reader. Here’s one. If you’re interested in following just a particular topic and having email updates sent to you, follow…
Ironically enough, the drummers in this photo are out of step. One is forward with the left foot, one is forward with the right. As a drummer and former marching band member (8 years in high school and college), it’s…
Juggling act sets up rink Even though I’m still a pretty die hard Red Wings fan, I live in Stars country now. Don’t ask me what I’ll do if the Wings and Stars meet in the second round. I went…
By Dan MarkovitzBack in October, Lifehacker ran a lengthy article on “personal kaizen.” The thrust of the piece is how we can improve our lives by adopting the kaizen approach of the TPS and applying it to our own work…
Hospitals try to reduce wristband code risks To put this in manufacturing terms, imagine how you might have to change your process if your product might get transferred to another factory for additional processes. In recent years, hospitals have widely…
Some good discussion was raised in my original post, where I was thinking out loud about what Lean management methods you should use to get clinical healthcare providers to wash their hands 100% of the time, in the name of…
Ledger-Enquirer | 03/27/2007 | Campaign’s goal is to reduce infections To those who might have thought I overstated the situation with hand washing in hospitals, here’s another article about maintaining proper hygiene among hospital staff and caregivers. One particular risk…
