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The Leader Standard Work Toolkit

Written by Didier Rabino | 11/28/23 5:00 AM

Core Truth

Leader Standard Work (LSW) is not a document. It is a system that stabilizes leadership behavior, exposes gaps, and drives improvement—only when connected to the full Lean leadership engine.

The Engine Analogy

Car Part LSW Equivalent Failure if Isolated
Engine LSW document Runs but goes nowhere
Transmission Gemba walks No power to process
Fuel Visual controls Starves the system
Ignition Coaching No spark of learning
Exhaust Reflection Builds toxic waste
 

LSW Document: The Engine Block

Daily LSW Template (Example: Plant Manager)

Time Task Tool Std Actual Deviation
07:00 Safety Gemba (Line 1) Board 10 min 12 min +2
07:30 Huddle (SQDC review) Board 15 min 14 min -1
08:00 5S audit (Zone A) Checklist 3/5 2/5 -1
09:00 Coach 1 problem A3 1 1 0
15:00 Action follow-up Sticky 3 2 -1
 

Columns:

  • Std = Target
  • Actual = Done
  • Deviation = Gap → trigger reflection

Component 1: Transmission → Gemba Walks

Link How to Connect
LSW → Gemba 80% of LSW tasks at the work
Route 2 fixed paths, 8–12 stops
Cadence Daily (supervisor), 3x/week (manager), weekly (director)
 

Gemba Script (3 min/stop)

  1. See: Read board
  2. Ask: “What’s red?”
  3. Coach: “Why?” (5 Whys)
  4. Act: Sticky + owner + date

Component 2: Fuel → Visual Controls

Visual LSW Link
SQDC board Check at 07:30
Andon lights Respond <5 min
Action board Close 3/day
5S map Audit Zone A
 

Rule: No visual = no LSW task

Component 3: Ignition → Coaching

LSW Task Coaching Output
Coach 1 problem 1 A3 updated
Ask “Why?” 1 root cause found
Model PDCA 1 experiment launched
 

Coaching Kata (2 min)

  1. What is the target condition?
  2. What is the current condition?
  3. What is the next step?
  4. When can we see what we learned?

Component 4: Exhaust → Daily Reflection

Time Tool Input
End of shift 5-min journal LSW sheet
Questions    
1. What deviated?    
2. Why?    
3. What will I change tomorrow?    
 

Weekly Review (30 min)

  • Stack LSW sheets
  • Pareto deviations
  • Adjust standard

Full System Flow

LSW Document
   ↓ (Transmission)
Gemba Walks 
   ↓ (Fuel)
Visual Controls 
   ↓ (Ignition)
Coaching Kata 
   ↓ (Exhaust)
Daily Reflection 
   ↓
Improved LSW → Stable Process → Better Results
  

Metrics That Matter

Level KPI Target
Document % LSW tasks done >95%
Gemba % tasks at work >80%
Visual % boards updated 100%
Coaching Problems coached/day 1–3
Reflection Deviations actioned 100%
 

Launch Sequence (30 Days)

Week Action
1 Draft LSW (80% Gemba)
2 Map 2 routes, install 5 visual boards
3 Train coaching kata (role-play)
4 Pilot 1 leader, audit daily
 

Real Results (6 Months)

Site LSW % Safety Quality Delivery
Plant A 96% -42% incidents +18% FPY +11% OTD
Plant B 64% +11% incidents -9% FPY -6% OTD
 

Plant B: LSW isolated → no Gemba → no visuals

Common Failures

Symptom Root Cause Fix
LSW = checklist No Gemba Force 80% at work
No deviations Faked data Leader audits randomly
No coaching “Too busy” Block 1 hr/day
No reflection No time 5 min end-of-day
 

Your LSW Engine Checklist

[ ] 80% tasks at Gemba  
[ ] Visuals at every stop  
[ ] 1 coaching kata/day  
[ ] 5-min reflection  
[ ] Weekly Pareto + adjust 

Final Line

A checklist in a binder is scrap. LSW connected to Gemba, visuals, coaching, and reflection is the engine that drives Lean.

Start the ignition.

Your Turn: Post your top 3 LSW tasks below. We’ll connect them to the system.
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