This month we are exploring one of the hottest topics in the world of operational excellence, Standardised Work.
We look at how Toyota use it to create a competitive advantage and how industries such as mining, rail, aerospace, pharmaceuticals and more are embracing it.
The Secret of Toyota’s Success
The Formula for Continuous Improvement
What Toyota recognised and countless companies and industries have come to understand is standardised work forms the backbone of Continuous Improvement (CI) by establishing a consistent, repeatable process that serves as the benchmark for all improvements.
It creates a clear and measurable baseline, enabling teams to identify inefficiencies, deviations, and opportunities for enhancement.
Without a standard process, improvement efforts lack direction and clarity, as there is no definitive reference point to gauge success or evaluate changes.
Standardised Work fosters transparency, aligns team members, and provides the necessary framework to implement and sustain improvements.
It transforms ambiguity into actionable insights, ensuring each iteration builds upon a solid foundation rather than reinventing the wheel. In essence, it is the springboard for meaningful and sustained progress.
The Power of Standardised Work
At Toyota, employees learn to practice Kaizen—the philosophy of continuous improvement. Kaizen encourages everyone in the organisation to consistently seek better ways to perform tasks, eliminating waste and driving incremental yet significant improvements over time.
However, Kaizen alone isn’t enough. Toyota recognises that no improvement effort will truly last without Standardised Work.
Toyota utilises Standardised Work to document best practices for every operational process. These documented processes:
- Ensure tasks are completed safely, efficiently, and to the highest quality, regardless of who performs them.
- Streamline training, making it easier to onboard new team members and maintain high performance.
- Enable consistent auditing and improvement, ensuring that every enhancement made to a process is locked in and sustained.
Each time an improvement is implemented, the Standardised Work documentation is updated, and employees are retrained to follow the new process. This simple yet powerful approach ensures that Toyota’s efficiency objectives are achieved and sustained.
Applying Toyota’s Principles to Any Industry
The Toyota Production System (TPS) has become the gold standard for operational efficiency, inspiring businesses across industries—from mining and construction to healthcare and logistics.
Yet many organisations struggle to implement standardisation with the same discipline as Toyota.
At ORBIZ, we help businesses unlock the benefits of Standardised Work by:
- Assessing current workflows to identify inefficiencies.
- Documenting best practices and defining optimal work sequences.
- Training teams to follow and improve these processes.
- Embedding a culture of continuous improvement where standardisation drives lasting success.
Standardisation as a Competitive Advantage
Toyota’s success is not accidental—it’s built on a foundation of consistency, discipline, and continuous improvement.
Organisations that embrace these principles will improve efficiency, quality, safety, and overall performance.
While standardisation is the secret weapon behind the success of many companies, some remain unsure whether it’s possible for them to implement it.
Why do some fear Standardised Work.
The fact is not all organisations or leaders embrace the idea of implementing standardised work. They often overlook standardised work due to a combination of cultural, strategic, and operational factors.
Here are some of the most common reasons we have identified for the resistance:
- Perception of Bureaucracy – Many leaders see standardised work as rigid and bureaucratic.
- Over-Reliance on Experience – Skilled workers and leaders tend to believe that formalising processes is unnecessary because they “already know the best way.”
- Fear of Resistance – Leaders anticipate pushback from employees who see standardisation as micromanagement or a threat to their autonomy.
The truth is these fears, while understandable and perhaps even plausible on the surface, don’t stand up in the face of the evidence.
Here’s what organisations find after they implement Standardised Work.
- Rather than being a rigid system that makes people feel constrained, Standardised Work becomes the catalyst for continuous improvement. Until you create a standard, it is difficult to improve. But once a standard is set, employees become free to identify and improve the process, allowing for a continuous improvement culture to develop.
- The old saying goes, “What got you here won’t get you there.” Having a team of experienced people is a bonus until it becomes a performance ceiling. Once you believe you have no room for improvement, innovation stops, and the business risks becoming obsolete as competitors develop greater efficiencies and production systems.
- Fear of change is real, so it’s important that every staff member understands how standardised work will benefit not only the organisation but every team member. Once people realise standardisation is not a threat but rather a tool that empowers them to enjoy greater control over their work and results, they quickly embrace its implementation.
If you are wondering if Standardised Work is worth pursuing for your organisation, start by booking a conversation with one of our performance specialists.
