Why is standardization so important?

One of my favorite shows (now in syndication) is Bar Rescue. In each episode of Bar Rescue, bar expert Jon Taffer spends 5 days to turn a failing bar into a success. Yes, he makes a few ascetic changes, but as you’ll see when you watch even one episode, his method relies heavily on the introduction of standards. Each episode ends with a summary of how the bar is doing. Typically, bars see 20 to 30% improvements in revenue. These results are demonstrative of the typical impact standardization can have on businesses.

This is just one reason why on this website and in the Fundamentals of Problem Solving Course, we focus a lot on standards and standardization. Standards are some of the most impactful and cost effective solutions. They’re cheap. They’re quick to implement. They don’t require lots of iteration. They create stability and structure that helps elevate the company to even higher heights. There are many other benefits as well, from knowledge sharing and ease of training to improvements in quality and reductions in errors. But in all of these discussions, sometimes we fail to do a good job of answering the question, “What exactly is a standard?”

First, to give a definition, a standard is a known procedure, product or service level agreement that signifies or attains an accepted level of quality. But beyond this we need to disambiguate a little further. There are actually two different categories we could be referring to. Here we describe what these categories are, as well as their differences.

 Attribute Standards:

These apply to designed products and services. A product’s dimensions, the voltage of a power outlet, the location of the gas pedal relative to the brake pedal are all different types of standards that we rely on every day without even thinking about it. Single, double, full, queen, and king size beds all come with standardized product dimensions to make shopping for beds and sheets easy. The standardized location of the brake and gas pedal make operating a vehicle much safer. And many of us know firsthand what happens when we try to use our standardized appliances overseas without an electrical adapter.

Even service-based organizations will also offer several standards based on their service. Often, these standards are touted as a guarantee. Hospitals may guarantee a maximum wait time in their emergency room and Amazon will guarantee 2-day shipping for their prime members.

 Working standards:

Unlike attribute standards which are meant to be communicated to the end user or consumer, working standards are meant to be used for the person doing a particular behavior. Sometimes these are referred to as work instructions, standard operating procedures, or best practices.  These communicate the best-known method for doing some behavior. These don’t just exist in business environments either. If you’ve ever bought a product which warns “some assembly required” or constructed a Lego set, you’ve undoubtedly reached for a set of working standards that came along with the product.  The value of these working standards is that they describe and explain how a particular activity ought to be completed – you don’t need to figure it out for yourself, they transfer expertise and knowledge. Within organizations, these standards are often enacted to ensure product quality, safety, and productivity in operations intensive workplaces.

Within the category of working standards, there are several popular ways to document and communicate what the standards are.

Written Standards: Documents that describe how a particular job or activity is to be completed, through text. Written standards usually break larger jobs into smaller specific activities called work elements. Good written standards will also include information about the activity including what initiates (starts) the activity, when the activity concludes, the sequence of work elements, the key outputs of the activity, and the materials, machinery and tools that are needed to complete the task. 

Operating instructions for consumer electronics is a familiar example of written work instructions

Visual Standards: A picture is worth a thousand words. Visual standards do a much better job than written standards because they allow the individual to see, step by step, how something is done and what the finished product should like. Visual standards are so effective that even very small children can assemble Lego sets without the help of adults, simply by relying on the included (visual) work instructions.

Video Standards: Just like visual standards, video standards provide an even greater resource to individuals completing some sort of work task. Video standards have added benefit of showing real-time activities the individual should be engaged in. visual standards contain additional information as well like the surrounding environment, tool usage, and other nuanced information that may be important, but wouldn’t make the cut in visual or written instructions. If you’ve ever searched “How To…” in YouTube, you’ve searched for some video standard.

Video standards are also very convenient for improving and updating standards. If a new technique is developed that promises to decrease the time it takes to do a specific activity, comparing the two video standards side by side is a powerful and convincing way to demonstrate proof of concept.

It's important to note, that written, visual, and video work instructions are not mutually exclusive. Written instructions can be combined with pictures and videos to augment the level of clarity and support that the work instructions provide. As a rule of thumb, always try to provide the most visuals possible, but when even when not feasible, one or two well thought out diagrams and effective labels can go a long way for effective work instructions.

Owners manuals often have limited space and cannot contain several pictures. Diagrams with clear labeling can be an effective supplement to the written instructions.

Conclusion:

Standards remain one of the easiest and quickest ways to improve businesses. They’re application and impact are immediate and consistent, and reach to all industries in our economy. However, Not all standards are created equal and their impact is not the same. Standards that are directed at the product attributes are important because they allow for a convergence of activity around a stable product environment. Working standards are also important because they create the basis for continuous improvement and knowledge management. The various types of working standards - written, visual, and video, are also important for consideration. They communicate different levels information and structure that helps users and operators work as effectively and efficiently as possible. Whatever you’re facing in your job, utilizing these different types of standards is a surefire way to reap quick, low-cost benefits for your organization.