Obstacles Are Inevitable. Complacency Isn’t.
Toyota views Standardized Work as the one of the most fundamental parts of their production system but sadly we just don't see a lot of companies doing a really good job with it. It's hard, to be sure, and there's a lot of prerequisites. Most importantly, Standardized Work won't succeed through good intentions alone, it requires a solid foundation.
The sobering truth is most of the time spent on any process is waste. Some estimates are upwards of 95%. We all spend many precious resources like money, time, and effort on a process, but only a small slice of that actually delivers value to the customer.
How do we create a workplace where people show up every day, ready to strive for higher organizational goals? It all comes down to translating “true north” (aka your organization’s guiding vision) into everyone’s daily work. The word “translation” is key. Every organization has language barriers, departmental silos, and communication gaps. These gaps often are the biggest obstacles, not the guiding vision itself.
When we talk about daily work, people focus on the shop floor. But change must start at the top.