Standardization of production work: How to increase efficiency and solve problems?

Standardization of work has a direct impact on the efficiency and quality of production processes. A systematic approach to creating work standards reduces the number of errors and defects, streamlines onboarding, increases employee replaceability, and builds a culture of continuous improvement. What exactly does improving standards involve, and which areas are worth covering with this activity? How do digital tools support the use of work standardization? We answer these and other questions in today’s article.

The definition of standardization describes it as a set of conscious, interrelated actions and principles aimed at unifying the way repetitive tasks are performed. Work standardization is nothing more than organizing how a specific activity should be performed—so that everyone carries it out in the same, proven, and optimal way. Therefore, it is not just a matter of determining “how to do something,” but above all, of finding the best methodology for performing a given activity and ensuring that it is applied consistently by all employees.

The main objectives of standardizing work methods include:

• Reducing variability and errors — standardization eliminates differences in how tasks are performed, which translates into repeatable results and fewer errors and defects.
• Defining measurable and improvable work standards – standardization allows each activity to be described in a way that enables its control and further improvement.

• Accelerated onboarding and streamlined training – consistent instructions and a structured knowledge transfer process help new employees get up to speed faster.
• Increased employee accountability and engagement – clearly defined work standards strengthen the sense of agency and improve communication and teamwork.
• Faster and more informed response to disruptions – knowledge of work standards allows employees to better understand how the process should run and to identify and respond to deviations from the norm more quickly.
• Ensuring transparency – standards that serve as a reference point for both employees and supervisors facilitate the assessment of work quality and the enforcement of compliance with objectives.

It is worth emphasizing here that creating a work standard is not just about writing down instructions. The point is that these instructions should be:

• Concise and easy to interpret – they should contain only the most important information that is easy to assimilate.
• Flexible – they should be easy to update when changes occur in the process.
• Verifiable – compliance with them must be easy to track and analyze.

Standardization does not mean rigidly establishing the “only correct way” of working – on the contrary, it is a foundation on which changes can be made if better solutions are found.

Standardizing work methods in production is usually multidimensional—it is not limited to the way tasks are performed at the workstation, but also includes elements related to space organization, machine operation, communication, and skills development.

Depending on the company’s needs, process standardization may include, among other things:

For years, Excel spreadsheets have been the primary tool for documenting work standards, but today they are increasingly proving to be insufficient. The main reasons for this are:

• the inability to manage data in real time,
• the lack of integration with production floor equipment and company systems,
• the inability to conveniently manage instruction versions.

The availability of documents at the operators’ workstations and the time-consuming and error-prone distribution of files are also a problem. Standardization of work in this form becomes difficult to enforce, which is why more and more companies are turning to digital tools that allow them to manage standards in a consistent, flexible, and scalable way.

As mentioned above, standardization of production work supports the process of organizing activities in various areas—this applies to procedural, operational, organizational, and administrative issues.

One example of the effectiveness of standardizing work methods can be found in the case study of a printing company described in the article Implementation of Production Process Standardization — A Case Study of a Publishing Company from the SMEs Sector. The organization employed 150 operators in the packaging assembly department. The goal of the work standard was to increase efficiency and better optimize resources. Initially, the production capacity was 350 packages per day, while the demand was 650, which resulted in additional overtime costs for the company. The work standardization method implemented by the company focused on tracking task completion, analyzing operator movements, measuring times, and redesigning workstations. As a result of identifying unnecessary activities performed at workstations, reorganizing workstations, and developing instructions, the following was noted:

• a decrease in inefficient operator movements from 230 to 78 (elimination of 66% of unnecessary movements),
• a reduction in standard working time at the workstation from 244 to 199 seconds (a decrease of 18.5%) per assembled package,
• an increase in daily production capacity by 63.2% (229 packages were produced on each assembly line).

This example shows that standardized work can result in a significant improvement in process organization and increased production plant efficiency. Let us now discuss the most common problems that can be eliminated or reduced by implementing standardized work methods.

The lack of a uniform work standard leads to a situation where different operators perform the same tasks in different ways, which in turn results in a higher number of errors and defects. Standardization allows you to establish and implement the best working method, which translates into more stable product quality.

Many new hires start work without a clearly defined training program or dedicated instructions, which prolongs the time needed to reach full productivity. Standardizing work methods by creating consistent job instructions and developing an onboarding program can significantly reduce the time needed to achieve the desired level of efficiency.

If an operator is unfamiliar with best practices or performs tasks based on intuition, they can easily make mistakes that damage the machine and result in downtime. Standardization ensures consistent access to clear instructions, so operators know how to respond in any given situation to minimize unproductive time.

The lack of standardized instructions for retaining knowledge within the company causes serious problems in the event of employee departures and turnover, especially among those with extensive experience. Standardizing work allows you to build flexible and replaceable teams. Preparing employees to work in different positions makes the organization less vulnerable to turnover, absenteeism, and other HR challenges.

The lack of a developed standard for communication and informing about changes leads to errors, delays, and low employee engagement. Standardization defines the methods and scope of communication, ensuring that employees receive clear and consistent information in a timely manner.

Effective implementation of work standards does not have to mean dozens of documents and months of preparation. How to implement work standardization in production?

Modern digital systems are increasingly being used in the process of implementing work standardization in production. The noSilo platform brings together tools that support knowledge, competency, process, and documentation management in one place. How does our solution automate and simplify work standardization in various areas of production?

The noSilo platform allows you to collect all workstation instructions, documentation, procedures, instructional videos, best practices, and other materials in one central Knowledge Base.

• Versioning and access to documents in multiple languages eliminates documentation chaos and ensures that everyone is using the latest version.
• The ability to create instructions directly at the workstation by experienced operators facilitates the preparation of materials that are understandable to every employee.
• Quick access to instructions in an application available at the workstation supports the enforcement of work standards in practice.

The noSilo platform allows you to collect all workstation instructions, documentation, procedures, instructional videos, best practices, and other materials in one central Knowledge Base.

• Versioning and access to documents in multiple languages eliminates documentation chaos and ensures that everyone is using the latest version.
• The ability to create instructions directly at the workstation by experienced operators facilitates the preparation of materials that are understandable to every employee.
• Quick access to instructions in an application available at the workstation supports the enforcement of work standards in practice.

The noSilo platform offers the ability to create digital checklists that support the standardization of onboarding, quality audits, machine operation within TPM (Total Productive Maintenance) programs, and other processes.

• The ability to create personalized checklists allows them to be precisely tailored to a specific process, position, or stage of work.
• Digital checklists provide confirmation that a task has been completed in accordance with pre-established standards and give supervisors real-time insight into the implementation of the plan.

The platform is equipped with an LMS (Learning Management System) module that allows you to create and manage training programs, assign them to employees, and monitor progress.

• E–learning training courses facilitate the accessible and understandable communication of issues, while knowledge tests and checklists enable their effective verification.
• The ability to assign training courses to specific work standards and competencies facilitates the enforcement of the knowledge required for a given position.
• The results and confirmations of completed training courses are recorded digitally, which simplifies onboarding, audits, and monitoring of employee readiness to perform specific processes.

The noSilo platform also supports the Kaizen culture by enabling employees to submit their ideas for improving processes, standards, or working methods.

• The opportunity to actively participate in creating and improving standards strengthens employee engagement.
• Building and developing work standards in collaboration with employees significantly increases the chances of their acceptance and compliance.

Standardizing work is not just about creating documentation and procedures—it is primarily a tool for building a work environment capable of achieving ever–higher efficiency, quality, and stability in production processes. Using the noSilo digital platform for this purpose allows you to implement standards and then manage them effectively.

Bibliography:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305345349_Standardization_-_One_of_the_Tools_of_Continuous_Improvement;
https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9717/7/10/646;
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41471-023-00158-y.