Poka Yoke is a technique developed in the late 1950's by Dr. Shigeo Shingo to prevent human error from occurring in the manufacturing area. It became popular until the 60's on the Toyota production line.
The purpose of Poka Yoke is to eliminate defects in a product by either preventing or correcting errors that occur as soon as possible.
A Poka Yoke device is any mechanism that helps prevent errors before they happen, or makes them very obvious so that the worker notices and corrects them in time.
How can it be achieved?
If errors are not allowed to occur on the production line, then the quality will be high and the work will be little. This increases customer satisfaction and decreases costs at the same time. The result is of high value for the customer. Not only is it the simple concept, but usually the tools and/or devices are also simple.
A distinction must be made between errors and defects to achieve zero defects.
- A mistake is any unplanned deviation.
- A defect is the consequence of a mistake. It is a product that deviates from specifications or does not meet customer expectations.
Poka Yoke systems involve 100% inspection, as well as feedback and immediate action when defects or errors occur. This approach solves the problems of the old belief that 100% inspection takes a lot of time and work, so it comes at a very high cost.
seven Steps to Achieving a Poka Yoke.
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Quality processes. Design a robust quality process to achieve zero defects. |
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Elimination of Errors. Use a methodology to solve a robust problem by directing defects to zero. |
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Remove the "Root Cause" from errors. |
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Use a team environment. Value the knowledge of the teams, experiment to increase improvement efforts. |
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Get it right the first time. Using the resources to develop the functions correctly the first time. |
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Eliminate decisions that don't add value. |
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Implement an incremental continuous improvement approach: Implement improvement actions immediately and focus on incremental improvements, efforts don't have to result in 100% improvement immediately. |
 Describe the defect |
Show the defect rate, Form a team for defect prevention. |
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Identify the places where |
Defects are discovered, Defects are produced. |
Identify the errors |
And deviations from the standards in the operation where defects are produced. |
Detail the procedures |
In standard elements of the operation where defects are produced. |
Identify the Red Flag conditions |
These are conditions in the manufacturing process that commonly or potentially cause the errors where defects occur: Investigate (analyze) the causes of each error/deviation. Ask why the error happens until identifying its source or root cause. |
Identify the Red Flag conditions |
Required to prevent the error or defect: List alternatives, methods/ideas to eliminate or detect the error. |
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Develop a Poka Yoke device |
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Implement Poka Yoke |
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Measure the change after implementation |
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Verify the maintenance of the Poka Yoke |
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