Poka-Yoke, Mistake Proof, Error-Proof, Prevent Defects

We know that a Poka-Yoke approach is a much more effective approach to preventing mistakes and errors. But, sometimes, we see the approach of providing a “do not” sign only, which by itself, is not effective. But, coupled with a process or system that prevents the human from making mistakes or the error from being [...]

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My family and I recently returned from a vacation. We went on a cruise – our first one. And, our experience was great. I highly recommend going on a cruise – much more affordable than Disneyland, that’s for sure. There are other benefits too, but what I want to highlight today is an ingenious Poka-Yoke [...]

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Most of us are familiar with ATM machines. If you deposit or withdraw money from a bank, rent from a Redbox DVD machine, or have bought from a soda machine, you’ve likely used an ATM like machine. This specific experience I had highlighted the subtle but important fact around design and how to design in [...]

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There are several approaches to checking for errors. In this article, I’ll discuss three common ways to check for process errors: Successive Check, Self Check, and Poka-Yoke (mistake proof). Below is a table that describes the three common strategies for checking errors and I also describe the positive and negative or each approach. Successive Checks [...]

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We know that when there is no standard, there is no Kaizen. We often think of this statement as referring to just processes. But, standards apply to a broad range of categories – even to the language, the means by which we communicate. More specific, the English alphabet – or the 26 letters in the [...]

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Poka-Yoke, or Error-Proofing or Mistake-Proofing, is an essential aspect of process improvement. In fact, Poka-Yoke is the method by which we can actually get closer to a goal of zero defects without an exponential increase in the cost to detect and eliminate defects. In this article, I’ll discuss two types of situations that would benefit [...]

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A few weeks ago, I visited a Distribution Center in Nevada. On our Gemba Walk thorugh the Warehouse, I noticed some very interesting applications of Visual Management. One interesting aspect of Lean that I saw was an application of Poka-Yoke to prevent Order Pickers and Reach Trucks and Forklifts from hitting the Conveyor Belt(s). As review, [...]

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