Jidoka in ASOW

What Jidoka requires in practice

Define acceptable conditions, make abnormalities unmistakable, grant authority to pause work when quality is at risk. Resolve before continuation. The hard part: creating courage to stop rather than push through.

How ASOW supports it structurally

• Defined criteria for acceptable vs unacceptable states
• Visibility of deviations and non-conformities
• Clear escalation and decision paths
• Traceable records of issues and resolutions
• Integration of corrective actions into standards

Typical ASOW instruments

• Non-conformance handling: Capture, investigate, resolve quality issues
• Incident management: Record deviations and trigger corrective action
• Approval gates: Pause critical processes until criteria met
• Audit findings: Track and close quality gaps

Jidoka does not slow work — it prevents rework.

When this approach fits

Good fit when: Defects have serious downstream impact, quality or safety critical, problems must trigger learning not concealment

May be unnecessary: Errors inexpensive and reversible, work exploratory and tolerant of failure, speed outweighs risk of propagation