Lean management is based on two concepts: the elimination of Muda, the waste, from the production process, and Jidoka, the introduction of quality inside the production process and product. In software production, the elimination of Muda received significant attention, while Jidoka has not yet been fully exploited. In this work we want to propose a holistic approach to insert Jidoka in software production. We depict the architecture of a tool to support Jidoka and describe the components that are part of it.

Origin of Jidoka

Jidoka was first used in 1896 by the Japanese inventor Sakichi Toyoda who later became the creator of Toyota Motor Company.

It was in the form of a simple device that could stop the shuttle of an automatic loom if the thread broke. The mechanism was able to detect if a thread is broken and, therefore, immediately shut down the machine and signal that there’s a problem to avoid producing defects. Afterward, the worker operating the loom had to fix the problem and resume the production process.

Jidoka is a particular take on automation where intelligence is added to the process in order to detect defects when they occur.

Autonomation in Toyota

So “jidoka” means to authorize the machine operator to stop the flow line so that defective pieces will not move to the next station. This concept minimizes the production of defects and reduces wastes.
But “jidoka” means also to understand the causes of problems and then taking preventive measures to reduce them. This is the improvement cycle that Toyota knows so well.

Autonomation may be described as "intelligent automation" or "automation with a human touch". This type of automation implements some supervisory functions rather than production functions.

Is Jidoka same with Poka Yoke?

No. With Jidoka you can avoid errors, with Poka Yoke you can detect them. Both methods in combination increase efficiency and production.

• Jidoka: If technical problems occur, a machine or system switches itself off. Monitoring systems, for example using sensors or detectors, are used for this purpose. In the event of production or machine faults, a machine is thus able to detect these on its own, so to speak. As a result, the machine shuts itself down, which is why Jidoka is also known as “autonomation” (a combination of “autonomy” and “automation”).
• Poka Yoke: A zero-defect system that eliminates errors as a preventive measure. Work steps that must be repeated often are susceptible to the creeping in of carelessness. The zero-defect principle is the basis of fully automated processes in production and data management or data consolidation.

How to Apply Jidoka in Software Development?

Implementing Jidoka in a knowledge-work environment such as software development seems a bit more complicated due to the diversity of work processes. However, it is perfectly applicable when you consider the different steps of a workflow of this type.

Examples for Jidoka rules:

• Bad smells in code
• Shortgun surgery (on a development level or also across the team)
• Workflow conformance
• Verify if software is developed test-first
• Verify if software is released within a maximum time frame

The first two steps of Jidoka can easily be automated, but fixing the immediate problem and solving the root cause requires a human touch.

For example, if you are developing a software solution for a customer, you can implement multiple rounds of automated code tests in the development process. These tests will evaluate the quality of the features you are preparing and highlight any problems without testing every single functionality by hand.

Afterward, your team can halt further development and focus on fixing the issues at hand by digging into the problem and investing in the root cause that led to the current situation.

Fixing the code should happen by hand as the responsible developer needs to find where the code logic breaks. Depending on the seriousness of the issue, she should either go for a quick fix to temporarily solve it or dig deep to identify the root cause and deal with it.

As soon as the problem is solved, the development process should be resumed.

Apply Jidoka in Odoo ERP Manufacturing

Thanks to Jidoka methodologies, Odoo - one of the best ERP frameworks -  has developed various apps for controling quality, managing engineer changes etc.

Having a tool that allows us to calculate the software development budget taking into account the idiosyncrasy of our company, the way we do things, and follow a rigorous, precise, and standardized method, becomes a vital need and that is why we have included it in TIGOWAY.

Illustrations for Jidoka application in MRP process:

Wrapping-Up

"Jidoka" is very important for lean thinkers because Lean manufacturing dramatically increases the importance of building things right the first time. With very low levels of inventory, there is no buffer to fall back on in case there is a quality problem. With its help you can:

• Discover process abnormalities
• Stop your workflow to prevent quality issues
• Fix problems in a timely fashion
• Identify and remove the root cause of any process problem