From Dan Markovitz, who we interviewed late last year:
“You can look at Standard Work in terms of individual processes, too,
not just the whole business process.
For example, how and when should people use their email? Does it make
sense to read each message as it comes in (as most people do), or to
set standards that email will be handled four times per day, with the
rest of the day given over to actual work.
Meetings can also benefit from standard work: how long should they
last, what should the agenda look like, what kind of preparatory work
should be done beforehand, and what behavioral expectations are there
(e.g., no Blackberries, showing up on time, etc.).
Once you have set these standards, you can begin to track performance,
look for variation, and develop countermeasures. My guess is that
people in your company often complain about poor meetings, feel as
though they’re suffocating in email, and don’t have confidence in the
communication methods between departments. Standard work can help
with this.”
Dan
