POKA-YOKE
PART OF THE LEAN MINDSET
Poka-Yoke (Mistake-Proofing)
Poka-Yoke is a Japanese term which translates to “mistake-proofing”. Whilst we have steered clear of using Japanese phrases throughout, we make an exception for Poka-Yoke, as it is so fun to say, it will get stuck in people’s minds. It involves setting things up so that making a mistake is really difficult, or super-easy to detect. If you have ever driven a car and forgot to put your seatbelt on, it will start to make a horrible beeping noise. This is an example of poka-yoke that has been built into the car’s design. It prevents the user from driving without a seatbelt by immediately notifying them that there is a problem.
A great way to prevent defects or over-processing is to make your processes mistake-proof. If it’s nearly impossible to make mistakes or they’re easily detectable, processes become so much easier.
Example
In the toy factory, they have made some assembly jigs to make assembling the products so much easier. If a toy is assembled in a jig, it will ensure components can’t be attached in the wrong place. This will lower the amount of defects being passed on to the next person.
