The bedrock of great companies can be found in the work of each associate and the synchronization between associates.   Standardized work is considered one of the most critical elements in operations excellence.  Taken in its simplest form, it consists of the following elements:

• Content – Motions and thoughts occurring for each work step.
• Sequence – Order of each work step.
• Time – Standard time for each work step
• Outcome – Expected result in terms of safety, quality and cost.
• Location – Where the work steps should take place.

Sometimes these standards are very prescriptive and precise, for example, on an assembly line.  Other times they are loose, a compilation of various standards and process steps dependent on varying work scenarios.  Examples of the latter are Call Center Operators, Registered Nurses and Software Programmers.  In all cases, deep-dive work design can yield breakthrough improvement.