Standard Work is a foundation of Lean. This fun exercise was originally created by the Minnesota Office of
Continuous Improvement as a great way to illustrate the value of Standard Work. Each participant is given a
grid and written instructions, or the instructions can be read out to the group. The goal is for everyone to come
up with the same drawing at the end based on the instructions. And it's a pig!!
Round 1
One of the lessons of Lean is that if you standardize work, you not only reduce variation, but you improve
the quality of the product or service. This is known to be true in the delivery of medical care, but it is often
not practiced in hospitals. Instead, hospitals remain cottage industries, with each craftsperson (doctor)
plying his or her craft (clinical care) on the basis of experience, intellect, and creativity rather than on the
basis of scientific evidence. This leads, nationwide, to extension variation in practice patterns (and cost).
More locally, it leads to greater potential for harm. What we need, instead, is a greater reliance on
standardized practices in those portions of medical care than can and should be standardized -- still
leaving to doctors their ability, creativity, and craftsmanship for those circumstances that truly demand
those attributes.
We'll start with the round one, and then rounds two and three follow below. First, prepare standard size
pieces of paper with the grid shown below -- one per participantNow, read the following instructions to
your friends: You'll probably have to repeat the instructions.
1) Draw the side profile of a pig, centered on the page.
2) Make sure the pig's head is facing left.
3) The pig should be drawn large enough so that a piece of it is in every box EXCEPT the top right.
4) You have 2 minutes to draw your pig.
Round 2
Now we turn to round 2. This time, hand out the instructions above, along with another copy of the grid,
and ask people to draw another pig. Again, have everyone compare their results.
Please open the instruction sheet for round 2. Standard-procedure-pig-cartoon. Follow the instructions
on the sheet and draw the pig again.
Round 3: Wait for teachers instructions