Process-making 工程造り

In my last post, I shared the phrase, “Manufacturing is about human development.” 【ものづくりは人づくり】 When people hear this phrase, they often think of training programs.

While this isn't entirely wrong, there's another perspective to consider.

As I mentioned, the term “Mono-dukuri” gained popularity around the 1990s. At the same time, another term, “Koutei-dukuri” 【工程造り】, also became somewhat popular. For example, a key focus of the 1990s was developing processes to prepare for Japan's aging society. Therefore, the idea of “process-making” centered on meeting manufacturing needs, including safety, quality, stability, productivity, and flexibility.

However, there's another aspect we should consider for “Process-making,” which is: what kind of process-making promotes human development?

Here are some examples:

1️⃣ Rookie process

A rookie starts at a new workplace feeling many anxieties. Usually, they experience high turnover rates. Why not provide them with a simple process to help them feel more comfortable in the factory? Offering a straightforward process helps the rookie learn key aspects, such as arriving on time, understanding shift routines and safety rules, building stamina for a full day, adjusting to lunch, socializing, and cleaning up after work. Understanding words and information might be difficult at first. Adapting to a new environment can be challenging, and providing an easy process can help ease some of that pressure.

2️⃣ Skill map

If there is a rookie process, we should identify which processes are complex and what skills are needed. By understanding the required skills, we can create a map of the specific skills necessary in a plant. Note that this isn't just about process names. Within a process, you may have several skills, and we need to assign names to these skills. For example, I tried to learn “Momidasi,” a technique for squeezing out the proper number of nuts by hand. Such techniques are essential for assembly. Additionally, even within a skill, difficulty can vary depending on its application. The simplest use of the skill occurs in good postures. However, sometimes the work requires the worker to assume challenging postures. In some cases, this may not be immediately obvious. The skill map should identify these levels. Of course, an ideal solution would be to redesign the product and process to eliminate such difficulties, but in the real world, that is not always feasible.

3️⃣ Design the training around the process, not vice versa

I was involved in developing many offline skill training areas. A common mistake we made was training without a direct link to a specific process. We were teaching a skill, but the tool brand was different. The direction of work was incorrect. Information wasn’t exactly the same. Such minor confusions cause delays in mastering a technique.

The key to designing an effective offline training area is to focus on what needs to be trained, rather than what is easiest to teach. For example, the equation of takt time is simple to teach. But consistently working according to takt time is not. Creating a training area to experience takt time is something to consider.

4️⃣ Stop (Jidouka)

One key characteristic of a development-promoting process is its ability to stop.

Imagine a process that never stops. It makes an error but keeps going. Then, after a few hours, days, weeks, or months, the process receives a message saying an error occurred. How can that process know what really happened? Additionally, we must verify that all products produced since then are accurate. That’s a lot of work. And if a bad habit forms during that long delay, we now have to unlearn it and replace it with a good habit. This requires a lot of energy.

The main goal of stopping the line and Jidouka is to give feedback to the worker that something has gone wrong and to take time to understand why. Immediate feedback is essential for learning. The concept called Self-process completion “Jikoutei-kanketu 【自工程完結】” allows each worker, from assembly line workers to engineers, to determine on their own if they have done good work or not. This enables instant feedback and makes it easier to reflect on what went wrong.

5️⃣ Kaizen

There is no better way to grow than by getting involved in Kaizen.

The other day, I was working on “Do it yourself” projects at my home. When I moved into this house and had the contractors do their work, I had no idea how the house was actually built. When I installed additional shelves on the wall, I discovered the location of the wall beams and how to secure the shelves. During a bathroom renovation, I gained insight into the internal structures of the toilet and learned how to repair them. I also made a table for my son, and in doing so, I relearned the importance of geometric measurements and how to ensure they are correct. (Although my son loved the wobbly table.) Every DIY project became a chance to learn how things are designed.

Kaizen is the same. Improving a process helps you understand it better. We learn what is truly difficult for the worker, discover tricks and techniques that make the work easier, and understand the tools and devices. We also learn about the product and process, identifying what can be changed quickly and what should be left alone. Every Kaizen offers an opportunity to learn something new.

6️⃣ Yoryoku

One common misconception is that training disrupts regular operations. For example, a plant scheduled training by removing half the team, which made it impossible for them to support normal output. In another case, there was a half-day shutdown for training. When such drastic measures are taken for training, the costs are high and opposition can develop. To prevent these issues, management must understand the concept of Yoryoku, or additional powers.

Every organization must have additional power, which in this case is people. It’s just that most people’s work is affected by fluctuations (Mura) and Muda, making it hard to see. By standardizing and practicing Kaizen, we free people from these conditions. The freed resources should then be redeployed to develop more people. This doesn’t mean creating a new position; instead, through job rotation, give everyone a chance to participate in training without sacrificing daily operations.

Ultimately, many TPS philosophies aim to encourage daily learning and growth through the process. Careful process design is meant to support development. It’s easy to forget the original purpose and focus on efficiency instead. However, that approach isn’t sustainable over the long term.

“Manufacturing is about human development.” 【ものづくりは人づくり】 Around the same time, this phrase gained popularity, and some started talking about “Process-making.” 【工程造り】 We should see “Process-making” not just as excelling in manufacturing, but as a process that fosters human development every day.