We hear people often say that they don’t make mistakes. Mistake proofing is not only about not making mistakes; it’s about mistake-proofing critical processes or decision making activities. In other words, documented procedural safeguards that force you to stop at a decision gate in a process and ask all the right questions. Mistake-proofing, or Poka Yoke, strives to ensure that mistakes or avoidable errors, whether in manufacturing, to call-center based customer service, to paying out supplier invoices.
Mistake-proofing is not about conducting 100% inspection everything but rather to come up with ways in the process where the next person or step:
1. Cannot do it wrong
2. Can only do it one way
3. If wrong, detected 100% of the time because controls are in place
4. Cannot proceed to the next step
Use mistake proofing techniques to create RED FLAG conditions so that they can be escalated in time.
Ten Common Errors That Lead to Defects
- Processing errors
- Error in setting up job
- Processing omissions
- Assembly omissions (missing parts)
- Inclusion of incorrect component
- Incorrect job
- Operation error
- Tool or equipment error
- Defects in job components
- Measurement error
Love this!