No Time To Waste
by LeanTeams
- On Purpose
- On Process
- On People
- Issue #26 — 04 MAR 2026 (2-min read)
On Purpose: Standard Work is how we learn
Standard Work isn’t paperwork — it’s the current best-known way so we can see gaps, test Kaizen improvements, and lock in learning.
If you want consistent customer experience, you need a clear baseline.
Without a baseline, you’re not improving — you’re just changing.
There is no kaizen without standards… [and] there is no maintenance of standards without kaizen
On Process: Make the standard visible and easy to update
Understanding Standard Work Kaizen for Continuous Improvement
Use one-page standards (Gemba docs/photos/screenshots/short videos) detailing key steps, important points and tips and tricks including “what good looks like”, and reasons explained for steps).
Review them at the Gemba (where the work happens with the people who do the work).
When a better way is proven, update the standard the same day and share it at the daily meeting.
Leaders should first develop standardised work to create a baseline for improvement… then… update the standard…
On People: Those doing the work own the standard
The people doing the work are the experts.
Involve them in writing and improving the standard, and create safety to surface problems early — that’s how standards become real and useful.
Team psychological safety is… a shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk taking
Leader’s Task of the Week
Standard in 30 minutes:
Pick one recurring task and create a 1-page standard (steps + checks + example).
Trial it today, then log one improvement and update the standard before tomorrow’s stand-up.
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