Standard Work is a Verb:: A Playbook for LEAN Manufacturing

“Standard Work is a Verb “is a developed discussion of LEAN from the Standard Work perspective. Much has been written about LEAN Manufacturing but very little includes more than a passing acknowledgment of “standardized work”. Even less discussion of how to use Standard Work exists. In this book, John Allwood establishes the prominence of Standard Work, linking it historically from Taiichi Ohno’s own hand to its initial introduction to Western manufacturing and into the waiting hands of Bob Pentland. Bob Pentland later became John Allwood’s teacher at Tuthill Pump in Alsip Illinois. Pentland’s comments and anecdotes are included throughout the text. John introduces the tools and skills required to perform Time Observations and write Standard Work for the shop floor and then he connects those tools to A PHYSICAL Continuous Improvement Cycle and explains how the CI cycle can be used as a visual control to manage processes. John then explains how these tools and skills line up into a functional “playbook” with which to approach any new and unknown LEAN situations. John engages in a lot of discussion about the need to create the right environment to let the LEAN tools work in and to create the right culture to support and sustain LEAN improvements. He points out the WANT that must be present to drive transformation and the “what it takes” to fund the project with energy and people. This book provides a bridge of understanding, complete with real world examples, that will take you from the principle and philosophical notions of “standardized work” clean through to the “fear of change” blasting, physical activities of Ohno’s Standard Work. You will be compelled to get out to your own Gemba and try these tools on for size after reading this book.