Poka-yoke is a Japanese quality control technique designed to prevent human errors in various processes by implementing mechanisms that help operators avoid mistakes and defects. Originating from Toyota, it encompasses principles such as elimination, prevention, detection, and others to enhance productivity and reduce errors across industries. The technique includes various types of poka-yoke systems tailored to specific tasks and customer interactions, ultimately benefiting businesses by improving profitability and efficiency.

1. Poka-yoke

2. Introduction
• Poka-yoke is a Japanese term that means "mistake-proofing" or
"inadvertent error prevention".
• A poka-yoke is any mechanism in a process that helps an
equipment operator avoid mistakes and defects by preventing,
correcting, or drawing attention to human errors as they occur.
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3. • Poka-yoke is a Japanese quality control technique developed by
former Toyota engineer Shigeo Shingo.
• Translated as “mistake-proofing”, poka-yoke aims to prevent defects
in the manufacturing process that are the result of human error.
• Poka-yoke is a lean manufacturing technique that ensures that the
right conditions exist before a step in the process is executed.
• This makes it a preventative form of quality control since errors are
detected and then rectified before they occur.
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4. Understanding poka-yoke
• Some process errors cannot be detected ahead of time.
• In this case, the poka-yoke technique seeks to eliminate errors as
early on in the process as is feasible.
• Although the poka-yoke technique became a key part of Toyota’s
manufacturing process, it can be applied to any industry or indeed
any situation where there is potential for human error.
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5. • One of the most well-known examples of poka-yoke in action is in the case of
a manual automobile.
• The driver must engage the clutch (a process step) before changing gears.
• This prevents unintended movement of the car and reduces wear on the
engine and gearbox.
• Another example can be found in washing machines, which do not operate if
the door isn’t closed properly to prevent flooding.
• In both cases, poka-yoke principles mean that automation is in place to
prevent errors before they occur.
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6. Six principles of poka-yoke
Elimination
Prevention.
Replacement
Facilitation
Detection
Mitigation
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7. Elimination
The most preferable solution. It
involves redesigning a product
or process so that a particular
step is no longer necessary.
Prevention
or engineering a product or
service so that it is virtually
impossible for an individual
to make a mistake.
Replacement
Can a more reliable process
be substituted in to lessen
the chances of an error
occurring?
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8. • Facilitation – or the adoption of techniques to make a task easier to
perform. This may involve combining certain steps.
• Detection – or identifying an error before further process steps are
undertaken. This allows the error to be rectified without further
damage to equipment or personnel.
• Mitigation – the least preferable solution. Here, the aim is to
minimize the effects of errors without necessarily solving them.
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9. Three types of poka-yoke
SERVER
POKA-YOKES
Task poka-
yokes,
Treatment
poka-yokes,
and
Tangible poka-
yokes.
CUSTOMER
POKA-YOKES
Preparation
poka-yokes.
Encounter
poka-yokes.
Resolution
poka-yokes.
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10. Task poka-yokes.
• Task poka-yokes focus on server tasks and common mistakes servers
make while performing the service/task for the customer.
• A good example of a control-oriented, task poka-yoke is the coin return
machine used in may fast-food restaurants.
• The coin portion of a customer's change from payment is returned
automatically through these machines.
• This takes the control out of the hands of the cash register operator,
eliminating errors and speeding up the processing of customers.
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11. Treatment poka-yokes
• Treatment poka-yokes focus on the social interaction between the
customer and the server (i.e., eye contact, greeting).
• By mistake-proofing/standardizing what servers say and do to customers,
managers can reasonably ensure that customers receive proper, fair and
consistent treatment.
• Burger King utilized warning-oriented, treatment poka-yokes by placing
"cue cards" at the service point ensuring that servers know what to say
the minute they interface with the customer.
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12. Tangible poka-yokes.
• Tangible poka-yokes attempt to improve the tangible, physical
impression and experience for the customer in addition to the direct task
of the server (i.e., dirty office, unkempt server, sloppy documents).
• Motorola uses a control-oriented poka-yoke in the legal department by
having a second lawyer inspect all legal work for spelling, presentation,
and arithmetic.
• In this way, the legal department is ensuring that the "tangibles" of the
service are satisfactory in addition to the task of the service (legal work).
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13. Customer Poka-yokes-Preparation Poka-yokes.
• Preparation poka-yokes attempt to fully prepare the customer before
they even enter the service.
• An example of a warning-oriented, preparation poka-yoke is the notice a
university sends to each student prior to registration for the next
semester detailing the courses he needs to finish his degree.
• This system could be converted to a control system by having an
automated registration process which would not allow students to sign
up for classes out of sequence or until all prerequisites are met.
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14. Encounter Poka-yokes.
• Encounter poka-yokes attempt to fail-safe a customer at a service
who may misunderstand, ignore, or forget the nature of the service
or their role in it. A good example of a control-oriented, encounter
poka-yoke is the use of concrete curbing at an oil& lube shop that
directs customers so that they do not/cannot pull the wrong way
into the station. This system also assists in the selection process so
that customers are not served out of order.
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15. Resolution Poka-yokes.
• Resolution poka-yokes attempt to remind customers of the value of their
input to the continuous improvement of a service.
• A hotel which uses an automated check-out system through the
television in each room could attach a few questions to the check-out
process to ensure the customer provides feedback on key issues.
• This would be a control-oriented resolution poka-yoke.
• Obviously, one of the keys to the success of any customer-oriented poka-
yoke is to obtain willing customer participation.
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16. Benefits of poka-yoke principles for businesses
• Improved profitability
• Errors on production lines decrease profitability – whether that be through
line shutdowns or expensive worker injuries.
• But poka-yoke principles improve a company’s bottom line in other ways.
• For example, hotels now require that guests insert their key-card into a slot
to activate electricity in their room.
• Since many guests do not bother to turn the lights off after they leave, the
hotel can save money on wasted electricity consumption.
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17. • Improved productivity
• Preventing errors before they occur increases productivity.
• Online forms require that every field be filled out before submission.
• This reduces errors in forms resulting from incomplete or missing information,
saving the company time and money in having to chase up consumers for the
extra details.
• ATMs also chime or flash to remind the customer to retrieve their debit card and
cash.
• This greatly reduces the once common error of customers leaving their cards in
the machine.
• It also saves the bank money in loss prevention, giving customer support the
resources to deal with other problems.
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18. • Simplification of smaller, error-prone tasks
• Small tasks with high probability of error are particularly prevalent in some
industries such as the service and hospitality industries.
• Cashier errors in counting change, for example, are relatively
inconsequential errors in isolation that have the potential to lose a business
a lot of money over the long term.
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19. Key takeaways:
• Poka-yoke is a Japanese quality control technique that aims to make
processes error-proof.
• Although having origins in the manufacturing industry, poka-yoke
principles are useful in any scenario where there is potential for human
error.
• Poka-yoke error prevention is guided by six principles, with elimination
the most desirable and mitigation the least desirable.
• All six principles can nevertheless improve productivity, profitability,
and simplify smaller, error-prone manual tasks.
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20. Barriers to implementation
• Difficulty in accepting change
• Justification of the investment
• Using inappropriate and ineffective methods
• Time requirements
• Difficulty encountered as a result of continuous process
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21. Reference
• https://fourweekmba.com/poka-yoke/
• https://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Or-Pr/Poka-
Yoke.html
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22. B.Varun
9787608011
bvarun.me@gmail.com
varun.me@srit.org
varunnelson bvarun.me
varunme bvarunme
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