// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did standard work say to its friend? "You're doing a shift in the right direction.
Standard work or standardized work is a lean manufacturing is the current, documented best known method for executing a task. The purpose is to create a consistent, efficient, and repeatable process that can be utilized by anyone enabling workers to reduce waste, improve quality, and increase productivity.[1][2][3][4]
Employees may be resistant to the deployment of standard work due resistance to change.[5][6]
Aside from creating stability, standardized work provides a baseline for kaizen or continuous improvement. Without a stable, repeatable process it is not possible to assess whether a change to a job has helped or hurt it.
There are three elements to standardized work:[7]
- Takt Time — the pace of customer demand
- Standard Work in Process (SWIP) — the minimal amount of inventory required to ensure a smooth flow
- Work Sequence — the steps to complete the job safely with quality within takt time
There are three standardized work sheets: [8]
- Standardized Work Chart —maps an operator's walk path to parts, tools, stations, and equipment, while documenting key points for safety and quality.
- Standardized Work Process Capacity Sheet — calculates whether equipment can keep up with the pace of demand
- Standardized Work Combination Table — records an operator's manual work alongside automated machine work, and walking to assess if a job can be completed within takt time.
Standard work is not the same as standard operating procedure. The latter details rules and technical requirements (e.g. a torque rating), while the former explains an operator's method and how he interacts with tools, equipment, and the product within takt time.
References
[edit]- ↑ Voehl, Frank; Harrington, H. James; Mignosa, Chuck; Charron, Rich (9 July 2013). The Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Handbook: Tools and Methods for Process Acceleration. CRC Press. ISBN 978-1-4665-5469-6.
- ↑ Soliman, Mohammed Hamed Ahmed (13 March 2021). Toyota Standard Work: The Foundation of Kaizen. Mohammed Hamed Ahmed Soliman.
- ↑ Allwood, John (4 June 2016). Standard Work Is a Verb: A Playbook for LEAN Manufacturing. Lean Leadership Institute Publications. ISBN 978-0-9975603-0-5.
- ↑ Martin, Timothy D. (12 July 2017). The Standardized Work Field Guide. CRC Press. ISBN 978-1-4987-5203-9.
- ↑ Munro, Roderick A.; Ramu, Govindarajan; Zrymiak, Daniel J. (13 May 2015). The Certified Six Sigma Green Belt Handbook, Second Edition. Quality Press. ISBN 978-0-87389-891-1. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
- ↑ Jackson, Thomas L. (27 July 2017). Standard Work for Lean Healthcare. CRC Press. ISBN 978-1-4665-0325-0.
- ↑ Savas, Matthew. "Standard Work - Lean Manufacturing Definition". Kaizumi. Retrieved 2026-09-17.
- ↑ Savas, Matthew. "Standard Work - Lean Manufacturing Definition". Kaizumi. Retrieved 2026-09-17.
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