Leader Standard Work Checklist

IMPROVEMENT
Executives 75% 25%
50% 50%

MAINTENANCE
Directors

Managers 35% 65%

Frontline Leaders 25% 75%

Frontline Staff 5% 95%

Credit: Imai Masaaki

1
Lean1. Executives: Areas of Focus
Commit to Self-development:
• Learn to live the technical, principle and managerial sides of Lean through
repeated learning cycles
2. Coach and Develop Others:
• See and challenge true potential in others through self-development
learning cycles (break down the skills to coach them one at the time but
many times, coaching Kata, TWI-JI process, see-do-teach)
3. Support Daily Improvement:
• Build local capability throughout for daily Management & Kaizen. Follow
weekly purposeful go-see routines on what matters most
4. Create Vision and Alignment to Goals:
• Create True North vision and align goals vertically and horizontally

Adapted from Jeff Liker’s “Developing Lean Leaders at All Levels”

2
“Commit to Self-development”
• Work on personal A3 Weekly
• Gemba walk: Process standard work assessment Weekly
• Gemba walk: employee safety observation Monthly
• Gemba walk: Lean Sensei coaching Monthly
• Work on personal Lean development program Monthly
• Participate in a Lean book club Monthly
• Attend external benchmark Gemba walk Annually

3
“Coach and Develop Others”
• Provide A3 coaching Weekly
• Conduct monthly review / each direct report Monthly
• Gemba walk: value stream review/each direct report Monthly
• Participate in New Leader Orientation Monthly
• Co-facilitate a Lean training (A3, FMS, SD, other) Quarterly

4
“Support Daily Improvement”
• Gemba walk: interview a patient or customer Weekly
• Gemba walk : assess improvement post Kaizen / A3 Weekly
• Gemba walk: observe a frontline huddle Weekly
• Attend system improvement report out Monthly
• Gemba walk: assess an employee injury RCA Monthly
• Gemba walk: review a customer safety event Monthly
• Great new employees Monthly
• Recognize a high performing CI team Monthly
• Participate in a Kaizen Workshop Quarterly

5
“Create Vision & Alignment to Goals”
• Lead your strategy deployment review Weekly
• Participate in the 1-up strategy deployment review Weekly
• Gemba walk: Entity business review Monthly
• Participate in a Value Stream Analysis Quarterly
• Conduct mid-year strategy deployment review Annually
• Conduct annual strategy deployment planning Annually

6
 Time to Reflect…

Table Discussion
Which of my activities support these 4 areas of focus?
Which activities should I add?
• Use one post-it per activity. Initial the post-its and place
on flipchart under their area of focus

7
Tool 2: Visual Controls
• The Leader Standard Work takes the leader to the
visual controls
• Visual controls show expected versus actual

The leader uses the visual controls to:

 Verify the execution of the standards
 Check that gaps are clearly documented
 Ensure appropriate responses to gaps

8
Tool 2: Four Levels of Visual Controls
1. Information
• Example: water gauge under a bridge
2. Abnormality
• Example: gauge shows “normal” or “flood”
3. Response needed
• Example: gauge shows level for “close bridge”
4. Status of the response
• Example: gauge with nearby sign “bridge closed by
sheriff on April 7”

9
Tool 2: Visual Controls - Process Focus

1 4

2
3

10
Tool 2: Visual Controls - Outcome Focus

1
2

4 3

11
Tool 2: Visual Controls - Knowledge & Skills

3 12