Are 'Standard Work Documents' used by "All" who implemented LEAN & Control Needed?

I work for a manufacturing company that has an QMS Coordinator (me) and a LEAN Coordinator. I know very little about LEAN and am looking for some insights. Our LEAN Coord has suggested that "all" companies implementing LEAN, use a Standard Work document of a specific format. I'm not concerned with the format, however, I am concerned with the length and information that it contains. I do not want a 24+ page work instruction in front of our operators and ultimately audited against. The format he is suggesting includes pages of TAKT time, 5S, Work layout, as well as a few very nice pages of actual work instructions with photos. I suggested breaking the document up and keeping the visual work instructions on the floor and the rest could be maintained as records. We are in definite disagreement, so I'm needing some assistance.

My question is: is this document used by "all" who have implemented LEAN and, once complete, are they controlled within your QMS system?

Thanks for any advice!

Re: Are 'Standard Work Documents' used by "All" who implemented LEAN & Control Needed

Hi Sandyd,

Our LEAN guys use no such document, and TAKT, 5s etc are just part of their daily toolkit.

What you are describing seems to go "against" the LEAN philsopy in my head.

Re: Are 'Standard Work Documents' used by "All" who implemented LEAN & Control Needed

Thank you Geoff! That was my thought, but needed to know I wasn't out of line with my thinking.

Re: Are 'Standard Work Documents' used by "All" who implemented LEAN & Control Needed

Many lean implementations I've seen try to keep any document in front of the operators down to one page.

Re: Are 'Standard Work Documents' used by "All" who implemented LEAN & Control Needed

howste said:

Many lean implementations I've seen try to keep any document in front of the operators down to one page.

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Howste is absolutely correct. If it can't be displayed in front of the operator so they don't have to turn pages, they won't be using it. Standard work should never take the place of adequate training, it is used as a reminder and as a way to foster improvement.

Wayne

Re: Are 'Standard Work Documents' used by "All" who implemented LEAN & Control Needed

Simply, color coded, visual controls that are meaningful and transparent to everyone. A 24 page document does not fit into the general principles of lean. Things should be visual, simply and intuitive.

From the book "Lean Thinking" by Womack and Jones, page 26: "Perhaps the most important spur to perfection is transparency, the fact that in a lean system everyone - subcontractors, first tier suppliers, system integrators (often called assemblers), distributors, customers, employees - can see everything, and so it's easy to discover better ways to create value. What's more, there is nearly instant and highly positive feedback for employees making improvements,..."

Your "Lean" person needs to study some more, learn, and understand the basic principles and theories behind "Lean."

Re: Are 'Standard Work Documents' used by "All" who implemented LEAN & Control Needed

Your Lean Coordinator has probably been readign some of Jeffrey Liker's books. In them he describes that some companies do document such things includign walking paths, number of steps, touch time, kanban sizes, etc. However, he and others are very clear that these are NOT for the operator. They are for the team leads and supervisors and process engineers so they know if standard work is being violated (and standard work is often misinterpreted to mean the operators work instructions - it is not.) These documents are frequently updated by consensus.

I wouldn't put them in a formal change control system as tehy are guidleines for management use not instructions for operators. Some second or third party auditors might have different opinions.

Re: Are 'Standard Work Documents' used by "All" who implemented LEAN & Control Needed


Thank you, thank you, thank you everyone! This is what I needed! I'll be checking out those books and forwarding them on...

Re: Are 'Standard Work Documents' used by "All" who implemented LEAN & Control Needed

I've been leading Lean for 8 years. I see this mistake often. Unfortunately I.E.s and M.E.s often think that Standardized Work is the same as work standards and SOPs. Standardized Work does have a general form, but the form is not required. The FORMAT is 1 page, pictures, Icons to stress critical, quality, safety (etc) issues. It is a working (living) document. Without standardized work, kaizen (improvement) gains will not be sustained. I would avoid incorporating it into ISO/etc. The shear tonnage of ISO documentation process waste will kill standardized work. It must remain [quickly] flexible to be beneficial.

Re: Are 'Standard Work Documents' used by "All" who implemented LEAN & Control Needed

aotiel said:

I would avoid incorporating it into ISO/etc. The shear tonnage of ISO documentation process waste will kill standardized work. It must remain [quickly] flexible to be beneficial.

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I absolutely disagree with that statement! ISO doesn't require "sheer tonnage" of documentation. Many organizations have imposed tons of documentation on themselves and (in my opinion) they suffer for it.

On the other hand, I've seen ISO registered organizations with wonderful systems implemented with lean principles. Their documentation is simple, effective, and flexible where it needs to be.