Standard Work

Lean Manufacturing Series

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Disclaimer and Approved Use
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▫  This presentation is intended for use in training individuals within an organization. The
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Contents
1.  Introduction
2.  Background and History
3.  Components and Implementation
4.  Knowledge Check

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Introduction
•  Standard work is an agreed-upon set of work
procedures that establish the best and most reliable
methods and sequences for each process and each
worker.
•  Standard work is a tool used to best utilize people and
machines while keeping the rhythm of production tied
to the flow of customer orders.
•  Each step in a lean manufacturing process should be
defined and must be performed repeatedly in the same
manner.
•  Variations in the process will create quality problems
requiring costly rework or scrap.  

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Introduction
•  Standard work will define the most efficient methods
to produce product using available equipment, people,
and material.
•  Standard work depicts the key process points, operator
procedures, production sequence, safety issues, and
quality checks.
•  Finally, standard work must identify the amount and
location of WIP inventory in the cell.
•  Developing standard work is one of the more difficult
lean disciplines.
•  Once you start to implement flow and pull systems your
workers can get caught up in the dynamic changes and
get behind in documenting those changes.

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Background and History
•  Standard work methods were developed by Taiichi Ohno
and Shigeo Shingo at Toyota during the 1950’s and
1960’s.

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Components and Implementation
•  Standards and Standardization
•  Standard Work
▫  Takt Time
▫  Standard Work Sequence
▫  Standard Work-in-Process Inventory
▫  Four steps to Standard Work
•  Sustaining Standard Work

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Standards
•  Three types of standards
▫  Based on authority, custom, or consensus that evolve over time
▫  Based on scientific data that change slowly
▫  Based on technical specifications that tend to remain constant

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Types of Standards
•  Regulations
•  Quality Standards
•  Specifications
•  Technical Standards
•  Process Standards
•  Manuals
•  Notices
•  Memos

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Value of User-Friendly Standards
•  Costs decrease
•  Delivery delays diminish
•  Inspection costs disappear
•  Customer complaints decrease
•  Operations become more efficient and reliable
•  Employee skills and morale increase

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Problems With Standards Communication

•  Manuals are often not designed for the user

–  Text-only or difficult to read
–  Manual may not be easily accessible by the user
–  Checklists may not be sequenced per process step
–  Terminology may be too technical or not suited for the user
•  Revisions are unsystematic
–  Redundancy can create a lack of consistency
–  Frequent revisions lead to a lack of confidence in the standard

•  Information is not consistent with lean methods

–  Procedures must be fully described
–  Inspection becomes part of every operation
© 2013 Gemba Academy LLC. All rights reserved. 11
Standards Documentation
•  As brief as possible
•  Clear objective
•  Control or check points
•  Checkpoints divided into “must” and “prefer”
•  Data charts that can be used during operation
•  Statement of scope or intended use
•  Flowchart describing information covered
•  Troubleshooting directions
•  Maintenance points

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Standardization
Standardization is the practice of setting, communicating,
following, and improving standards.
•  A standard provides the baseline upon which to
measure the results of continuous improvement
activities.
•  If the results demonstrate improvement, the standard
can change.
•  Everyone must practice the standard consistently
before standardization truly exists.

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Standardization & Simplification
•  Eliminate inherent sources of variance
•  Eliminate opportunity for human discretion error
•  Examples
▫  Container sizes
▫  MacDonalds with interaction with customers
•  Consistent with Deming Wheel
▫  Standardize → expose problems → solve problems → implement
new methods

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Standard Work
•  Prerequisites for standard work
▫  5S and visual controls
▫  Quick changeover
▫  Mistake-proofing
▫  Total productive maintenance
▫  Jidoka
▫  Cellular manufacturing
▫  Pull production with kanban
▫  Line balancing

© 2013 Gemba Academy LLC. All rights reserved. 15

Standard Work
•  Standard work consists of three elements:
▫  Takt time
–  Matches the time to produce a part or finished product with the rate
of sales. It is the basis for determining workforce size and work
allocation
▫  Standard work sequence
–  The order in which a worker performs tasks for various processes
▫  Standard in-process inventory
–  The minimum number of parts, including units in machines, required
to keep a cell or process moving

•  Once a standard work is set, performance is measured

and continuously improved
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Takt Time
•  Takt time is the rhythm of production in harmony with
the pulse of customer orders.

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Takt Time - Definitions
•  Cycle Time
▫  Total cycle time: from when raw materials enter a plant until a
finished product is shipped
▫  Operation cycle time: amount of time to create one product
within a cell or line
▫  Machine cycle time: time for one complete machine cycle
▫  Operator cycle time: time for an operator to complete one
cycle of an operation, including walking, setup, and inspection

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Takt Time – Definitions
•  End of line rate
▫  Rate at which product comes off the production line
•  Takt Time
▫  Rate at which product must be turned out to meet customer
demand

•  Pitch
▫  Adjustment of container amounts to takt time that allows work
to flow more evenly on the shop floor

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TAKT Time Example
•  Net Available Operating Time
▫  Time per shift 480´ (minutes)
▫  Breaks (2 @ 10´) - 20´
▫  Clean-up - 20’
▫  Lunch - 30’
▫  NAOT/shift 410´

•  Customer Requirements
▫  Monthly 26,000 units/month
▫  No. Working Days 20 days/month
▫  CR/Day 1,300 units/day

•  TAKT Time
▫  410’ x 60” x 3 shifts (73,800) divided by 1,300
▫  57.769 seconds per part or 57"
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Standard Work Sequence
•  Standard work sequence is the order of tasks involved
in an operation or the order of operations in a process
to complete an operation cycle.

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Standard Work Sequence
•  The number of operators required for a cell to produce
to a given demand may change, however the sequence
generally does not change.

•  Standard work sequences should be created for every

possible combination of operators in a cell.

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Standard Work Sequence
•  Line Balancing
▫  How to evenly distribute work in a cell so that takt time can be
met
1.  Create a process map of the cell showing cycle times
of each operation
2.  Determine the number of operators needed: total
cycle time divided by takt time
3.  Round upwards to identify the number of operators in
the cell, but use continuous improvement to work
downward

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Standard Work-In-Process Inventory
•  Standard work-in-process inventory is the minimum
amount of inventory that is needed for work to progress
without creating idle time or interrupted production
flow.
•  Continuous improvement of the standards in the
process will allow the reduction of WIP to the minimum
buffer, with the goal always being “zero inventory.”

© 2013 Gemba Academy LLC. All rights reserved. 24

Four Steps to Standard Work
1.  Create a parts-production capacity table
2.  Create a standard operations combination chart
3.  Create a work methods chart
4.  Create a standard work sheet

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Step 1: Parts Production Capacity Table

Description Manual Automatic Retool Total Per Unit Capacity

Time Time Time Time Time
1

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Step 1: Parts Production Capacity Table
•  Assign sequence numbers to each operation
•  Enter the operation description
•  Enter the time for manual operation and automatic
operation
•  Enter the time for retooling or setup
•  Calculate totals
•  The production capacity equals the result of dividing
the total daily operating time by the total time per unit

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Step 2: Standard Operations Combination Chart

Description Manual Auto Walk 5 sec 10 sec 15 sec 20 sec 25 sec

Time Time Time
1 Operation 1 4 3 2

2 Operation 2 1 1 1

3 Operation 3 2 1 0

4 Operation 4 1 0 1

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Step 2: Standard Operations Combination Chart

•  Draw a red line vertically to indicate takt time

•  Calculate whether just one worker can handle the cell
or if more workers are needed.
•  Enter the operation descriptions and sequence
•  Enter the time measurements
•  Check the combinations of operations. If machine time
exceeds manual time then the operators will be waiting
for machine operations to be completed. If total time
for all operations exceeds takt time the improvements
are necessary.

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Step 3: Work Methods Chart

Description Quality Quality Critical Net Time

Check Measure Factors

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Step 3: Work Methods Chart
•  The work methods chart details the process at each
workstation, providing instructions for workers.

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Step 4: Standard Work Sheet

Line Name:

Process Name:

Operation Description

Prior Next Process:

Process:
Cycle Time: Net Time:

Std Breakdown #:
Inventory:
Symbols
(qual check, safety check, WIP)
Date: By:

© 2013 Gemba Academy LLC. All rights reserved. 32

Step 4: Standard Work Sheet
•  Create a drawing of the operations in the cell and enter
their sequence and description
•  Enter the quality checkpoints
•  Enter the safety checkpoints
•  Enter the WIP
•  Enter the takt time and the net cycle time
•  Enter the amount of standard WIP
•  Enter the breakdown numbers to indicate different
operations in the cell and total number of operators

© 2013 Gemba Academy LLC. All rights reserved. 33

Improving Standard Work
•  Areas for improvement
▫  Flow of materials
▫  Shifting from specialization to multi-skilled lines and operators
▫  Improvements in motion
▫  Establishing rules for operations
▫  Equipment
▫  Separation of people and machines
▫  Preventing defects
▫  Eliminating walking
▫  Shift from one-handed to two-handed tasks
▫  Placement of parts
•  Improvements in motion are among the most important
changes
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Maintaining Standard Work
•  Establish standard operations throughout the factory
•  Make sure everyone understands the importance
•  Trainers must be committed to the operations they
teach
•  Post visual displays to remind everyone
•  Post graphic and text descriptions
•  Reject the status quo
•  Conduct group improvement activities regularly
•  Systematically pursue improvements in standard work

© 2013 Gemba Academy LLC. All rights reserved. 35

 Knowledge Check

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Define “standard work”.

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What things does standard work depict? (Mark all
that apply)

1.  Key process points

2.  Operator procedures

3.  Production sequence

4.  Safety issues

5.  Quality checks

© 2013 Gemba Academy LLC. All rights reserved. 38

Which of the following are prerequisites for
standard work? (Mark all that apply)
1.  5S and visual controls

2.  Quick changeover

3.  Total productive

maintenance

4.  Pull production with

kanban

5.  Line balancing

© 2013 Gemba Academy LLC. All rights reserved. 39

What are the components of standard work? (Mark
all that apply)

1.  Takt time

2.  Standard work sequence

3.  Standard in-process

inventory

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Match the standard work component with the
definition by dragging the definition to the
component.
Component Definition

□ 
A.  The minimum number
of parts, including units
B
Takt time in machines, required

□  C
Standard work
sequence
to keep a cell or
process moving
B.  Matches the time to

□ 
produce a part or
A
finished product with
Standard in-process the rate of sales.
inventory C.  The order in which a
worker performs tasks
for various processes

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Match the cycle time name to its description by
dragging the description to the name.

□ 
•  Name Description
B A.  Time for one complete
Total cycle time machine cycle

□  D
Operation cycle time
B.  From when raw materials
enter a plant until a

□ 
finished product is
shipped
A C.  Time for an operator to
Machine cycle time

□ 
complete one cycle of an
C operation, including
Operator cycle time walking, setup, and
inspection
D.  Amount of time to create
one product within a cell
or line
© 2013 Gemba Academy LLC. All rights reserved. 42
What information is on a standard work sheet?
(Mark all that apply)

1.  Line name

2.  Process name

3.  Operation description

4.  Prior process

5.  Cycle time

© 2013 Gemba Academy LLC. All rights reserved. 43

How can you maintain standard work? (Mark all that
apply)

1.  Establish standard

operations throughout the
factory
2.  Make sure everyone
understands the
importance
3.  Trainers must be
committed to the
operations they teach
4.  Post visual displays to
remind everyone
5.  Post graphic and text
descriptions
6.  Conduct group
improvement activities
regularly

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How can you apply standard work to your
organization?

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Congratulations!!!
•  You have completed the course.

•  Visit Superfactory (www.superfactory.com) for more

information on manufacturing excellence.

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