Track: Project Management

Abstract

Standard work is an effective method for the continuous improvement of manufacturing systems. It is a useful tool to document the most efficient method to create a product or service and describes how tasks are executed consistently by anyone. Standard work helps to maintain the quality, provides efficient operations, and ensures the proper use of tools and equipment. It finds application in various organizations to manage their tasks effectively and efficiently. Standard Work helps to train employees to identify and eliminate non-value-added activities such as unnecessary motion, waiting, and defects, thus significantly reducing the time to complete the task. Standard work acts as a diagnostic tool, by exposing the issues and promoting continuous improvement. Even though this is a very helpful tool, it is often overlooked and underutilized. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the utility of this Lean Manufacturing tool. In this paper, a lifecycle management project in the healthcare sector is used as an example of application. The Healthcare sector consists of various critical manufacturing processes and defects that require critical attention and quick solutions. The main findings are, that lead time can be decreased by approximately 22-25% with the implementation of Standard work and is effectively a good tool to train the employees easily and to normalize the work procedures with increased flexibility and production, and decreased waste, errors, and lead time.