We have learned over time, led by Toyota, that ‘root cause analysis’ thereby seeing the root cause of problems is the road to continuous improvement.
At any time when there is a problem, do not let it get papered over, do not let the symptoms be treated, dig and dig until you understand the root cause and then fix it.
Often this is a challenging task, root causes by their nature are usually well hidden, and often ambiguous until there is a forensic examination. However, they are always there and rooting them out enables a compounding of improvements over time.
That analysis requires a cultural context in which to work, as it takes time, consumes resources, and is never completed, as there is always another problem to be analysed. That is the nature of problems, root out one bottleneck, and the blockage just moves to the next spot, previously hidden by the former one.
However, we also seem to look at a process from its beginning, setting out to define a hidden problem occurring inside the process.
Should we reverse the order, and look at the causes of success?
Why and how has Toyota managed to remake themselves from the crappy stuff carrying the lousy quality implications of ‘made in Japan’ from my childhood to an icon of quality, and in the process, driven change through manufacturing globally?
What is the root cause of their success?
My contention is that the root cause is a simple piece of rope.
The Andon cord.
Toyota put Andon cords through their factories, so that any person on the line could stop the line at any time when they saw a fault.
Not only were they empowered to stop the line, they were expected to do so any time a problem occurred that could not be fixed in the time allowed at that station in the line. When the line was stopped by a worker, the supervisor immediately went to the stoppage point with two objectives:
- Solve the problem to ensure it would not be repeated, and that the problem got not one step closer to a customer.
- To congratulate the worker for stopping the line so the problem could be fixed. This ensured there was not any reluctance to address a problem by such radical means as stopping a whole factory.
This is an extreme example of empowering the front line, making those who can see problems as they face them all the time, responsible for fixing them.
When introduced, this must have caused headaches, as the productivity would have plummeted. The number of cars produced dropped off a cliff, but those that got through would be as good as they could be, and slowly, as problems were solved, productivity rose, quality rose, as over time Toyota became the benchmark for motor vehicle quality around the world.
All from a simple piece of rope, and the surrounding culture that delivered to those at the coal face, the responsibility to exercise their right to pull it.
What is the equivalent of the Toyota Andon cord in your business?
