82 ◾ Lean Production Simplified, Third Edition
Hence, Goldratt argues, we must:
1. Identify our bottlenecks.
2. Decide how to exploit the bottlenecks.
3. Elevate the bottlenecks.
Arranging processes such that team members can help each other automati-
cally alleviates our bottlenecks.
Standardized Work and Kaizen
Standardized work is a process whose goal is kaizen. If standardized work
doesn’t change, we are regressing. The leader’s responsibility is to maintain
a good condition and to improve. Sometimes kaizen opportunities are obvi-
ous. These include obvious muda such as recurring defects, machine break-
downs, or excessive WIP. Hard-to-do work (muri) or unevenness (mura) are
other obvious targets. The following sections describe design guid ...