Recently, I was at the Indianapolis International Airport waiting for a flight from Indy to Dallas. As I waited, I purchased a soft drink and a newspaper. When my flight was called, I needed to dispose of these items. There were three trash cans nearby: one with a small round hole in the top and another with a long narrow slit in the lid. They had corresponding labels of bottles/cans only, paper only, and trash.
I was reminded of how each trash can had a fail-safe design to support its specific recycling purpose. Bottles will not fit into the can for paper, while they fit perfectly into the lid with the small round hole. Someone cannot accidentally place an item into a trash can designed for something else.
This type of engineering is often referred to as poka yoke (or poke yoke), a Japanese term that means mistake proofing. Many processes use a form of mistake proofing in their design, including:
- Required fields on an electronic document that must be filled in before you can submit the form;
- A gear with a tab that fits into a corresponding notch in a shaft, ensuring proper alignment; and
- A smaller orifice in an automobile fuel tank that only allows you to pump unleaded gas.
Poke yoke is an important consideration when designing a new process. By preventing mistakes before they can happen, the organization can save time and money, and ensure a positive, long-lasting solution.
How are you helping your employees to work smarter by reducing the amount of time they spend on non-productive activities and correcting errors? If your business processes need a “check-up,” please email me at michael@leadingchangeforgood.com! I’d love to help you get back to a healthy, productive workplace!
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