The Toyota Way - Chapter 8
Build a Culture That Stops to Fix Problems
What is it about the way Toyota does things that makes their quality consistently better than
other car companies?
1. principle of building in quality and the decision to stop and fix problems as they occur rather
than pushing them down the line to be resolved later
2. The focus in mass manufacturing is in getting the mass. In lean the focus is on eliminating
waste.
3. Toyota has built a system that provides long-term benefits of stopping the line.
4. Support structure to quickly identify, respond and correct problems.
Developing the Culture
1. The traditional method of reducing per unit costs creates mind-set of never stopping the line
because higher production numbers theoretically equal lower cost per unit.
2. Any problems that arise can be corrected later.
3. Quality is controlled by additional inspection and containment
4. Creates an attitude among the workforce that identifying problems and possible solutions is
not important
5. In the long run this system does not invite cooperation and mutual respect – two important
ingredients of the Toyota Way.
6. With focus on waste elimination, develop a system that emphasizes getting quality right the
first time.
Philosophy
Waste Elimination
(Waste of Correction)
Performance Measure
First-time quality, production
output, line stop time, audit results
Principle
Get quality right the first time
Strategy
Stop to fix problems.
Never knowingly pass
defects to next process
Lean Tools
Andon, jidoka, Poke Yoke,
Standardized Work, Problem
Solving, Job Instruction Training
Method
Fixed position stop and
support structure
Reason
Increase urgency to
Identify and correct problems,
challenge people to think
Control Method
Visual Controls, Standardized
Work, Inspection and Quality
Audits
Effect
Motivation to identify and solve
problems. Long-term
strengthening
Toyota method of stopping to fix problems
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Result
Sytem waste and cost is
reduced, cooperative
environment for
improvement
The Toyota Way - Chapter 8
7. People need to know they will be supported when a problem occurs, and with the fear of
retribution eliminated, they can develop a cooperative attitude toward improving
performance.
8. Cultures are created over time. If there is no support structure, the culture that develops is
one of self-sufficiency, “Every man for himself.”
The following list includes many of the things needed to effectively create a “stop the line”
culture and system
1. Understand your current culture and why it developed.
2. Create a clear vision for change.
3. Pay attention to the respect and dignity of the people.
4. Establish a reasonable degree of stability in processes.
5. Have a method to stop the line.
6. The process must provide an audible and visual indication of the exact point of the
problem.
7. Have people designated to respond when the line stops.
8. Define the roles and procedure for response to problems.
9. Change the measurement process from just quantity to built-in quality.
10. Increase the urgency, and make it necessary to fix problems.
The Role of Jidoka: Self-Monitoring Machines
Jidoka is roughly translated to mean “intelligent machines”
1. At the center of Toyota philosophy is a respect for people and the value they provide.
2. Machinery is used to relieve human burden but is not a master to the person.
3. While the cost may be higher for labor, the total benefit gained from having this sensing
ability of a human is of greater benefit.
4. Utilizing jidoka is a matter of understanding where waste is in any process.
5. Wait time causes operator to fill the time with “busy work”. You may not see any actual
waiting, so you need to look at the activity being performed while the machine is running. Is
it value added?
6. Notice whether you have machines idle because they need service but there is no recognition
of this.
7. Machines should be equipped with sensing devices – both audible alarm and visual signal.
The Problem-Resolution Cycle
1. Before you try to build a system, it is important to understand the full cycle of the problem,
from recognition through resolution and prevention.
2. This entire cycle is repeated many times throughout the day.
3. Problems are constantly being surfaced and corrected with minimal interruption to the
production flow.
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The Toyota Way - Chapter 8
Elevate to higher
level if necessary
Has the problem
“escaped” to the
customer?
Find the source to prevent
further occurence
Prevention
(Short Term)
Long-Term, permanent
solutions from Operator or
Team
Contain
Prevention
(Long Term)
Evaluate
Control
(Protect the
Customer)
Elevate
Team Leader assumes
responsibilty
Recognition
Operator is responsible for
detecting adnormalities
Toyota problem-resolution cycle
Toyota problem-resolution cycle
1. Recognition – recognition is possible because there are established visible standards.
2. Elevate – If the condition exceeds the defined span of control of the employee she must
elevate the problem and request support. “Pull the cord”
3. Evaluate – the first thing the leader must do is evaluate the condition. The role of
management is to ensure that resources are available to correct problems quickly and that
corrective action to prevent recurrence is taken.
4. Control – stopping the line effectively controls the spread of the problem.
5. Containment – the leader must identify the source of the problem so it can be contained.
Familiarity with the process aids in this procedure. Another purpose of the containment
effort is to identify the parameters of the problem.
6. Prevention – preventive measures may be short term until a more effective permanent (longterm) measure can be implemented. The problem-solving process is used to find the root
causes and to determine effective, permanent solutions. All members are responsible for the
development of effective countermeasures.
Minimizing Line Stop Time
1. Toyota has developed a system that allows problems to be identified and elevated without
necessarily stopping the line.
2. The line will continue to move until the end of the work zone – the “fixed position stop”
point.
3. Anytime the line is stopped, the problem is compounded because everyone on the line has to
get resynchronized with the line when it restarts.
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The Toyota Way - Chapter 8
4. Toyota assembly lines are a series of straight line segments connected by “U” shaped
corners. A line stop is really a line-segment stop.
5. Small defined buffers at the corners are used to absorb minor interruptions – no more than 10
minute total buffer.
6. If an operator activates the andon and the leader responds before the car has moved to the
next work zone, the line never actually stops.
7. If the problem is more significant and cannot be corrected before the end of the work zone,
one segment of the line will stop, but the other lines will continue, provided there is product
in the buffer.
Build quality Inspections into Every Job
1. Inspection is not a value-adding activity, but Toyota stresses the inclusion of self-inspection
in all standardized work.
2. Inspection does not add value, but it prevents greater waste from occurring
3. Every operator has three responsibilities regarding quality:
a. Check the incoming work to ensure that it is free of defects.
b. Verify that his or her work is free of defects
c. Never knowingly pass defective product to the following operation.
4. Targeting specific areas with a history of problems will increase the effectiveness of the
checking process.
5. For critical operations, or task that have had a history of missed steps, a yoshi is used. The
standardized work dictates that upon completion of the task, the operator will point at the part
and call out “Yoshi” signifying “I have checked this item” This provides visual and audible
confirmation that check step is done.
6. The physical act of pointing requires intention, and the intentional act causes the brain to
engage.
7. Benefit of small batch production is that if a defect is missed at one station and subsequent
operators are checking incoming work, there will be a very short feedback loop from the time
the problem is created to the time when it’s discovered at a downstream operation.
Poka Yoke
1. Workers are assisted with the prevention of mistakes by the utilization of poka yoke methods
or devices.
2. It is based on the philosophy that people do not intentionally make mistakes or perform the
work incorrectly, but for various reasons mistakes can and do occur.
3. Conventional thinking tend toward identifying the cause of mistakes as “human error,” while
the Toyota Way always starts with the assumption that an error is failure of the system and
methods that re used to perform the work.
4. The difference in thinking shifts the responsibility for errors from the people to the method,
which also shifts the blame for mistakes from people to systems.
5. The key to developing effective mistake proofing lies in understanding how or why the
mistake occurred.
6. If it is an individual, the answer may be to evaluate standardized work and make sure that no
steps are omitted.
7. The greatest challenge is in discovering the root cause and using your imagination to
effectively eliminate it.
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The Toyota Way - Chapter 8
8. There is a hierarchy when it comes to mistake-proofing effort. The highest order is to
prevent the occurrence of the error completely.
9. If a prevention device is installed that is problematic or cumbersome, people will tend to
“work around” it.
10. It is important to prevent any defective items (or mistakes) from affecting the customer.
11. There must always be protective “gates” to ensure that the customer is never compromised.
12. Possible causes of errors or omissions:
a. Deviation from defined work method (work must be standardized before attempting poka
yoke)
i. Omitted steps
ii. Steps out of sequence
b. Missing parts (or components of the work)
c. Improper part
d. Incorrect setup
e. Errors in information or documentation
f. Transposing type errors
g. Misinterpretation type errors
h. Recognizing the mistake but failing to segregate or correct it.
13. Note that mistake proofing extends well beyond the prevention of defects. It applies to work
activity and to any mistake that creates a deviation from the defined standard.
Creating a Support Structure
1. One of the major differences between Toyota and other companies is the support structure
and how it’s utilized to effectively control problems and keep the system operating.
2. Critical aspect for the supporting roles is the “span of control”
3. The Toyota Way is full of short-term investments that result in long-term payoffs many times
over.
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