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The way in which the term is used in the manufacturing industry is a different from "foolproofing" in practice. Generally, a Poka-Yoke is a step added to a proc
by cc439 8y ago
The way in which the term is used in the manufacturing industry is a different from "foolproofing" in practice. Generally, a Poka-Yoke is a step added to a process that requires an operator to stop and think about what is going on and whether everything is within spec before proceeding with the next step.
One example I can think of would be a torque tool used in a critical step of the assembly process. Since modern factories allow different models of roughly similar product types to be assembled on the same production line, it is important that the torque tool is run using the correct settings for each model. In this example, the operator has to scan a barcode on the vehicle and the corresponding barcode on the computerized torque tool before the tool will work. This not only sets the tool to the correct setting, it forces the operator to stop and think for a second when the tool doesn't work. By doing this as the first step, it also ingrains the knowledge of which model number the operator is working on as they consciously have to scan the right barcode on the tool as there's a unique barcode for each variant they'll see coming down the line. That way they are more likely to catch any incorrect/mismatched parts tied to later stages of assembly carried out at their station (i.e. they know they are working on Model X Sport but the parts bin shadowing this chassis has a cosmetic piece that is only for the Model X Limited).
Also, I;ve always found it funny that the phrase sounds like poke-a-yoke (yoke, as in yokel) given how it's used in the industry to describe a way of prodding someone to pay attention.
- csours 8y agoPeople will generally operate with common sense until incentives or pressure is applied. If you are under extreme pressure to produce a certain count of parts, common sense is suspended and people do things like ship problems on down the line. (See also local optimization)
- FooHentai 8y agoYou have to account for fatigue also. While a repeated process can drop into the 'automatic' mode where you're unfocused but still running through the task, critical validations can be omitted when focus is not retained. These techniques guard effectively against that, as there are clear, focus-inducing markers when something is wrong in the process. This is the main thing you're guarding against. It's not complacency, or additional pressures... It's just plain old boring fatigue which on a long enough time span will hit every operator.
- gowld 8y agoA NYC-via-Japan subway practice is another nice example: http://mentalfloss.com/article/79767/what-are-subway-conductors-always-pointing http://mentalfloss.com/article/79767/what-are-subway-conduct... which led to this delightful friendly prank: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9jIsxQNz0M https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9jIsxQNz0M More examples of the narrow and broader meaning: https://www.propublica.org/article/too-human-not-to-fail https://www.propublica.org/article/too-human-not-to-fail But these aren't great examples because they don't capture the important aspect of an automated system detecting and reacting to an operator violating the process protocol.