How do you align your Andon system with your customer feedback and quality standards?

1 Understand your customer value proposition

The first step to aligning your Andon system with your customer feedback and quality standards is to understand what your customers value and how they measure it. What are their pain points, needs, and desires? How do they define quality, timeliness, and reliability? What are their expectations and preferences? You can use various methods to gather customer feedback, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, reviews, or complaints. You can also use tools like value stream mapping, customer journey mapping, or personas to visualize and analyze your customer value proposition.

2 Define your quality criteria and metrics

Once you have a clear picture of your customer value proposition, you need to translate it into specific and measurable quality criteria and metrics. These are the standards that you will use to monitor and control your production process and ensure you deliver value to your customers. Quality criteria and metrics can include aspects such as functionality, performance, appearance, durability, safety, compliance, or cost. You can use tools like quality function deployment, failure mode and effects analysis, or control charts to define and prioritize your quality criteria and metrics.

3 Design your Andon system and triggers

Next, you need to design your Andon system and determine what triggers will activate it. Your Andon system should be simple, visible, and easy to use. It should provide clear and accurate information about the problem or defect, such as its location, type, severity, and cause. It should also indicate the action required, such as stopping the process, calling for help, or escalating the issue. Your Andon triggers should be based on your quality criteria and metrics, and reflect the customer feedback and quality standards. You can use tools like Pareto charts, fishbone diagrams, or 5 whys to identify and analyze the most common or critical problems or defects that affect your customer value proposition.

4 Train and empower your workers

Another key step to aligning your Andon system with your customer feedback and quality standards is to train and empower your workers. Your workers are the ones who operate the process, detect the problems or defects, and activate the Andon system. They need to understand the purpose and benefits of the Andon system, the customer value proposition, the quality criteria and metrics, and the Andon triggers and actions. They also need to have the skills, knowledge, and authority to solve the problems or defects, or to escalate them to the appropriate level. You can use tools like standard work, visual management, or gemba walks to train and empower your workers.

5 Monitor and improve your Andon system

Finally, you need to monitor and improve your Andon system regularly. Your Andon system should not be a static or isolated tool, but a dynamic and integrated part of your continuous improvement cycle. You should collect and analyze data from your Andon system, such as the frequency, duration, and impact of the problems or defects, the root causes, the corrective actions, and the customer feedback. You should use this data to identify and implement improvements to your process, product, or service, and to update your Andon system accordingly. You should also seek feedback from your workers and customers on how to improve your Andon system and its alignment with your customer value proposition.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?