The Six Rules for Effective Kanban

THE SIX RULES FOR EFFECTIVE KANBAN www.Leanmantra.com

Introduction Toyota Production Systems saw the need for implementation of Kanban within their production systems to create an optimum flow of work and reduce waste in the production line.

Over the years, their Kanban application went through improvements and eventually the Six Rules helped improve their production capability through the use of Kanban.

1. Never pass on defective products.

2. Take only what is needed.

3. Produce the exact quantity required.

6 Rules of Kanban

4. Level the production.

5. Fine-tune production.

6. Stabilize and rationalize the process.

1. Never pass on defective products: Find defect as early as possible.

Do not allow leakage of defect.

Policies must ensure the desired quality.

2. Take only what is needed: Work on only the item that the customer needs and only when the item is needed.

Differ commitment to the last moment.

3. Produce the exact quantity required: Produce Minimum viable product.

Do not deliver features that customers do not need.

4. Level the production: Identify and remove bottlenecks.

Define policies that ensure optimization at all workstages.

5. Fine-tune Production: Constantly improve flow.

Fine-tune policies using lead time distribution, CFD, & throughput metrics to balance quantity and demand.

6. Stabilize and rationalize the process: Stabilize and standardize processes.

Improve predictability.