Standardized Work: Foundations to Practice

Every team has a “best person”—someone whose results others can’t replicate. When that person is out, quality drops, managers firefight, and nobody knows why. The root cause is almost always the same: the work has never been properly standardized.

This workshop teaches you to fix that—not with rigid procedures, but with living standards built and owned by the people doing the work.

This two-day, hands-on workshop blends classroom instruction with live observation of real work. On Day 1, participants learn lean foundations—the three M’s (muri, mura, muda), the seven wastes (TIM WOODS), and what “standardized” actually means versus a static SOP—then take those concepts directly to a live work environment using the 60-30-3 observation method. On Day 2, participants learn to measure work using spaghetti diagrams and lap timing, build the three core standardized work documents (production capacity sheet, combination table, and analysis chart), and practice the four-step job instruction method.

A dedicated cross-sector translation thread runs throughout both days, showing how every concept applies whether you work in manufacturing, healthcare, financial services, software, nonprofits, or education. Participants leave with completed documents for a real process from their own context, plus a sustainment model and a personal action plan.

By the end of this workshop, you’ll be able to:

• Identify muri, mura, and muda in any work environment using direct, structured observation.
• Use spaghetti diagrams and lap timing to measure current-state work and select the lowest repeatable cycle time.
• Build a production capacity sheet, standardized work combination table, and standardized work analysis chart for a real process.
• Apply the four-step job instruction method (prepare, present, try out, follow up) to transfer a standard to a team member.
• Define the daily responsibilities of work cell leaders and shift managers in creating, auditing, and sustaining standardized work.
• Translate lean and standardized work principles to your own industry and develop a 30-day action plan for implementation.

Concepts introduced:

• three M’s (muri, mura, muda) 
• seven wastes (TIM WOODS)
• takt time vs cycle time
• standardized work vs. work instructions 
• gemba observation (60-30-3 method) 
• spaghetti diagrams
• time observation & lap timing 
• production capacity sheet 
• standardized work combination table 
• standardized work analysis chart 
• four-step job instruction method
• leader standardized work 
• daily process audits 
• PDCA & kaizen 
• cross-sector translation 

Who Should Participate?

Primary audience: Manufacturing supervisors, shift managers, work cell leaders, and lean/CI practitioners; operations managers and team leaders across any industry seeking to reduce variability and build more consistent processes.

Also appropriate for: Healthcare operations managers; software engineering managers; financial services operations leaders; nonprofit program directors; education administrators; any manager or team lead responsible for training others or sustaining repeatable processes.

Prerequisites: None required. No prior lean experience necessary.

Discounts

• Register three or more students from your organization and save 12.5% off every registration. To receive a group discount, register as a group through the registration link and the discount will automatically apply.
• LEI Co-Learning Partners: Partners receive 25% off current pricing. No group discount can be applied.

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel your registration for in-person workshops four weeks before the course start date for a full refund. A cancellation occurring within two – four weeks of the workshop dates will be subject to a $350 fee. Cancelling less than two weeks prior to workshop start is subject to no refund. To cancel, please call LEI at (617) 871-2900 or email registrar@lean.org.