(EN) Process Confirmation Standard for Kaizen at BMW Dingolfing—Part 3

Process confirmation is essential for maintaining standards, which are essential for continuous improvement. In my previous posts I introduced the process confirmation standard at the BMW Group Dingolfing plant, which helps BMW to achieve efficiency on par with Toyota. We already looked at the verification of the material supply standards and 5S. In this post I will talk more about the Gemba standards for the actual work. They demand improvement ideas directly from the shop floor, which is the best way to have fast kaizen cycles toward operational excellence. Read on!

Gemba Standards

This is the biggest section in this checklist. And rightfully so, as it is now a lot about improving the standard. All sections of questions are good, but if I would have to pick one, this one would be it. This section is what drives fast improvement cycles directly on the shop floor!

The first question is very basic: Is there a work standard? Work standards are the DNA of improvement, the key to kaizen. As Taiichi Ohno said, if there is no standard, then there is no improvement.

The next question checks whether the work standard is up to date. If there is already a newer and better standard available, then this should be used. Similarly, if the work has already been improved, then an updated standard is needed to make sure the improvement is actually being used.

Next the group leader checks whether the work standard is available on-site. Is there a printed document showing all the details of the work standard? As mentioned above, if there are any problems with the product or the work, the first question is „What does the standard say?“ Having the standard available in printed form at the location of the work (often a folder with clear sleeves) makes it much easier to check whether the worker or the standard is flawed.

Now the group leader checks whether the worker can do the standard repeatedly. And this checks not only whether it can be repeated, but also whether it is sure to succeed in its task (in German BMW lingo they call this Gelingsicher, which could also be translated as „foolproof“). The group leader checks whether all tools are working as intended, and that the parts fit together without jamming, wiggling, or other problems. This is basically a check whether the standard is good. As a reminder, a standard is a formal description of the best known way to do the work, and here the group leader checks whether it is indeed working smoothly and efficiently. For me, this is a VERY important thing to check for improvement, and any issues with this item on the checklist is likely to lead to an improvement activity.

The next question is on quality. In good companies (like BMW or Toyota), everybody is responsible for the quality of his own work. Having another operator check the quality much later is only a secondary and often flawed measure in comparison to the operator ensuring his own work is flawless. Hence, an operator at BMW must check his own work. This question verifies that the operator does the quality self-check according to the standard (in German, Werkerselbstprüfung).  He looks at the process-critical features for his own work. Unfortunately, such quality checks are frequently skipped if the worker is pressed for time (or wants to free up some of his time by reducing the workload). Making sure that this self-check happens is an important step for good quality.

I like the next item on the checklist: Can the worker explain the standard including the self-check completely? A good standard has a list of tasks to do, but also for many steps additional points on why it has to be this way and what is critical for proper performance of the task. This question verifies that the worker not only follows the tasks, but that he knows WHY it has to be done this way and no other way. Does the worker blindly follow the instructions, or does he have a deeper understanding and know the reason behind the descriptions? It basically checks whether the worker is properly and fully trained in the task and could explain it properly to someone else (e.g., a new colleague) if needed.

I liked the last question, but the next and final question in this section on Gemba standards is my absolute favorite, which pushed me to write this series of blog posts. Has the group leader together with the operator created an improvement idea and documented this „Just-do-it“ improvement? The „Just-do-it“ is a form of documentation at BMW for small and quick improvements. As I wrote in a previous post, different problems require different solution approaches, and you may have large, medium, and small improvement projects. The operators on the shop floor can do small improvements themselves, but would need support by others (engineers, programmers, …) if there is a larger improvement. Hence, this item on the checklist drives small but fast improvements directly on the shop floor! It may not yield a multimillion-dollar savings, but lots of little things also amount to much. I also believe that lots of small changes are often better and will yield more benefit than few large improvement projects (that sometimes also may not work as intended anyway). And do you remember that the group leader does this checklist for two to three workers every day? You are getting two to three small improvement ideas every day! Or roughly one idea per operator per week. That is a lot! Toyota also has around one improvement idea per worker and week, a fast pace similar to BMW. Other companies in Germany may get only one idea per worker per year (one-fiftieth of Toyota and BMW) or even less. In my view, such small but fast improvement cycles directly on the shop floor is what makes the difference between a good company and a truly great one!

We are now almost through the process confirmation checklist used at the BMW Group Dingolfing plant. This part here is key for an outstanding continuous improvement. My next post will look at the last two sections on the documentation of the standard and the digital displays used at BMW to manage the product variety. But now, go out, drive kaizen by utilizing your front line operators and supervisors, and organize your industry!

PS: Many thanks to Thorsten Ahrens, Head of Assembly iX, i7, 8, 7, 5 Series in the BMW group Dingolfing plant, for showing me his very well managed shop floor!