How To Use Jidoka Beyond Physical Processes

Use jidoka (autonomation) to conduct projects.

Practitioners: tactical, integrative, and strategic

This is one of my favorite topex to discuss. Jidoka is associated with automation in machines that detect defects, shutdown to avoid producing a defective product, and alert the appropriate human being necessary to correct the abnormality. The challenge is translating and transferring this concept into the project space. Too many interpretations get stuck with the literal framework and cannot move the concept into a process without physical equipment. We struggle to use jidoka away from the physical processes.

If we strip away the machine and focus on the defect in the process, we can begin to devise an alternative for the transactional or informational process. The key is the ability to detect what is incorrect or abnormal. With confidence in the abnormality, the appropriate source for the correct information can be identified. We can use jidoka anywhere.

I use the movie Catch Me If You Can to illustrate. The real-life character, Frank Abadnale, Jr, was one of the greatest counterfeiters in history. Once he was captured, he went to work for the government. Why? The best way to catch a counterfeiter is with the eye of a counterfeiter. This is the connection to recognizing abnormalities. Frank Abagnale knew abnormalities so well that his counterfeits seemed to never have any – to the untrained eye.

How To Use Jidoka?

Standard work offers us the opportunity to establish what is normal. In the absence of defined normality, it becomes nearly impossible to detect any abnormalities. When we define standard work including points of evaluation and validation, we can offer our teams safe passage through a process and the most efficient and effective process to conduct their work successfully.

In the physical process world, we use error proofing to help us through the most critical steps to ensure our critical characteristics are in place. What is the error proofing tool for informational processes? Regular and frequent audits provide the opportunity for teams to bring information and possible decisions to the table to ensure alignment. Once again, we see the importance of the sponsor and process owners’ presence in the process. Attention and conversation are the autonomation tools in the project world. Where will you use jidoka to help improve your results?