1. Leader Standard Work I

2. The Earliest Form of Standardization
Standardization is one of the foundations
Out of all processes, management and leadership connect with all the rest and tend to be the most variable (needing to be standardized)
Start by standardizing the management and leadership processes (your guide is the team maturity self-check)
All components have PDCA
The more you check the easier it is to keep the pdCA cycles spinning
One of the basic foundations for operational excellence is to apply the principle of standardization to processes. As we noted in our Foundations module, the first three foundations were pdCA, roles and responsibilities and visual management. We said then that we’d talk about standardization later. Now’s the time. If you think about all of the processes we have, the one process that connects them all is our management and leadership system, right? If we should standardize our processes, the first one we need to standardize is that one. In fact, most of what we’ve learned in level 1, has been the standards for leadership and management processes. For example, we learned that everyone has to plug into a daily meeting. We learned that there is a standardize problem solving process. We also learned that pdCA was in the center of each of the components. This module helps us to check those pdCa cycles. Leader standard work is the set of checks that keeps all of our pdCA cycles spinning. Do you remember the merry-go-round on the playground when you were a kid. Remember how all of the kids would jump on the merry-go-round and some poor guy would have to get the monstrosity to start spinning. First you had to drive the thing with your shoulder to get it started. Then, you’d have to give it a hard tug and push as it slowly spun. But soon, physics took over, and because of momentum, all you had to do was tap it to keep it spinning rapidly. Leader standard work works in a similar way. At first, the checks associated with it seem arduous and seem to take up a lot of your time. Later, though, as you work at using the standard management system, your operational excellence system, you’ll find that these checks are hardly noticeably. What starts as a cumbersome exercise in developing a habit, levels out into a standard that sets us up for world class performance using the operational excellence system for continuous improvement.

3. What is Leader Standard Work?
Leader standard work is the set of checks to keep all the management system pdCA cycles spinning
LSW I focuses on the level one checks associated with each component
The tool (a form) is a checklist for the day, week and month
The checklist visualizes the checks (makes the missed ones obvious – visual control…visual management)
We’ve already give you a basic definition for leader standard work. Let’s get a little more specific. This module is entitled leader standard work I and is focused on the level 1 operational excellence system. As you add levels to the system, you’ll modify your leader standard work to reflect those changes. At its core, though, it is simply checking your system to make sure your pdCA cycles are spinning. Naturally, the checks are associated with each component of the management system. For example, one component is problem solving. There are tools that we use for solving problems and tools that we use to manage problem solving. The problem solving board and the balanced scorecard are tools that we use to manage the problem solving process. Leader standard work standardizes the checks that we will use to make sure that the problem solving board and the balanced scorecard are functioning properly. Leader standard work has a tool associated with it as well. We will use a checklist that is timed by the day of the week to show weekly standard work that happens daily. We will use a similar checklist for monthly standard work that occurs weekly. To summarize, leader standard work is a set of checks that keep the pdCA cycles of the operational excellence management system spinning. To support the checks, and visualize them, we’ll use a standard checklist.

4. Standard Checks

5. Human and Operational Balance
The standard for LSW becomes a target condition
Example:
The target condition for LSW is to check the PS Board
If no check of the board, it’s a problem! (You will see it…)
The system has a lot of moving parts. As you standardize what you are doing with the system and when, many of the difficulties you are having will clear up. By creating a standard, you immediately create a target condition. As we said earlier, one of the problem solving leader standards is to check the problem solving board at least fifteen minutes before the daily huddle. If you find yourself not checking the board, it’s a problem. The target condition for your problem is a daily check. As you solve the problems for how you will use the system, your operational target attainment will become more clear. Leader standard work will help level out your management tasks. As management becomes more predictable, the opportunity for human development – getting better at solving problems and attaining your targets – increases. In another module, Leadership Rounding for Level 1, we will introduce a primary leadership question for you to use with your team members. The question is, simply, “How can I help you succeed?” As you do your leader standard work, you will uncover countless opportunities to help people improve. Don’t miss the opportunities by focusing too much on the form of the system. Focus on using these checks to improve the function of it.

6. Linking Tiers Imperative to standardize the management system
Linking the tiers
What’s the standard to elevate a problem from my tier to next?
Most checks trigger the decision to elevate
Do as much problem solving before elevating to the next tier
Integrate up and down movement
The old way (my specific way) is the biggest barrier
The need for standardizing a management system can’t be overstated. Think about the standard to elevate problems from a lower tier to a higher tier when that problem could affect the higher tier’s target attainment. Without a standard, the decision to elevate a problem becomes a judgment call and the quality of those judgments are highly variable. With the standard, it is more clear and the decision is less subjective. When you add the additional layer of standardization via leader standard work, we begin to integrate the various up and down movements of continuous improvement through the organization. For example, notice that our leader standard work directs the checks that trigger elevating the problem and making sure some problem solving is done before it gets to the higher level. Without this standard as a target condition, it’s business as usual. So much works against getting the new standard management system in place. The “old way” of doing things is really “my specific way of doing things” that is probably slightly to radically different that other team leaders in the organization. That “old way” is the biggest barrier. We would argue that the way to chip away at that barrier from a daily experience perspective is to do your leader standard work.

7. Pitfalls and Tips Is LSW the standard for the component or the check?
It’s the check
Ex: PS Board standards are in the Team Maturity Self-Check. LSW check ensures that standard is followed every day
Is LSW everything I have to do to operate the management system?
No, it’s the checks that you need to do to keep pdCA cycles spinning every day. You will also need to maintain the planning, doing and act/adjust/analyze parts of the cycle, as well as roles and responsibilities and visual management.
Can I add things to my LSW? Like check ?
Use your personal time/task management for those things
Some of those things may be the “old way” that you tried to solve problems or more likely did your firefighting. Think about shedding them.
Eventually, you will add operational process checks to your LSW (currently it is blank)
We’ve run into situations where a team leader gets confused about whether the leader standard work is the standard for a component or whether it’s just the check. It’s the check; and typically gives the leader a decision to make. For example, the one of the leader standard work checks for the problem solving board is simply: “Check PS Board for old problems. Decision: any countermeasures due? Bring to the daily meeting.” The standard work for the problem solving board gets into the detail for how to manage the board. The standards are connected, but not the same. For example, the connected standard for the problem solving board would be to look specifically at countermeasures that are overdue, bring them to the daily meeting, get or assign an update, and return the sheet to the board. Our point is just this: the leader standard work isn’t everything you need to do to operate the management system. It’s the checks that you need to do to keep its pdCA cycles spinning. Another difficulty that we’ve seen is the sense that leaders want to add things to their leader standard work that aren’t part of the management system. Things like regularly scheduled meetings, or time to check . Use your time management system to check off those tasks. Some of those tasks are actually working against your operational excellence system. The idea will be for those things to get replaced entirely by your standard operational excellence management system. You’ll be adding some operational process checks to your leader standard work. Think of where you’ve added the foundations, especially visual management, to a problematic process as a countermeasure or containment. Add a check to go and see the visuals to look for new problems surfacing, at least for a time. These checks will likely be associated with your top three problems. Your balanced scorecard and monthly meeting leader standard work add some checks to the pdCA cycle for top problems but they don’t actually drive you to go and observe the visuals in a process in action. Use this part of the form to record a check to go and see.

8. Getting Started or Re-Started
Avoid the trap of “I don’t have time for OE” and ”I don’t have time for these checks”
Consistently complete your checks and you will free up time (standardizing management dampens variability that causes unevenness and overburdening)
Best way to get started – commit to doing your LSW every day
Ask your team leader for help
As we said earlier, the biggest barrier to standardizing a management system is the “old way” of doing things. The old way is specific to you and highly variable from leader to leader. Many of us have looked at the new way as cumbersome. We often argue that we don’t have time to do “OE”. The truth is that the minute you string five working days together using nothing but the operational excellence system to lead and manage, is same moment that you free up hours that you were previously using navigating your and other’s variable management system. The absolute key to starting or restarting is simply committing to doing your leader standard work every day. If you are struggling with it, ask your team leader for some help. They’re probably already wondering how they can help you succeed.