Fortune #25

On a moving production line, stopping a machine can appear to be failure because every minute has a cost. Toyota developed jidoka so equipment or workers could stop the line when an abnormality appeared, while andon boards and lights showed where the problem was. A supervisor could help at the source before a defect moved into the next stage.

The system changed the meaning of speed. Producing rapidly while passing many defects forward is not efficient; it creates later rework, waste, and lost trust. A short stop to address the cause makes the whole system more stable. Frontline workers also receive authority to expose a problem instead of being pressured to hide it for a temporary number.

Appropriate slowness does not mean checking forever and becoming afraid to release work. It means selecting important pause points: after a section, before a handoff, or when a warning appears. These points make review part of the process rather than a luxury reserved for an unusually quiet day.

Create one personal andon point. At the end of a work segment, stop for two minutes and ask: is the goal still correct, which error might be moving forward, and where is help needed? Then continue. A brief reduction in speed can prevent a long return to repair the entire route.