Poka-Yoke (ポカヨケ) means "mistake-proofing." It is a design approach that prevents defects at their source. A USB-C plug that fits either way up. A fixture that only accepts a part in the correct orientation. A machine that stops if a safety guard is open. Each one removes the possibility of a specific error.
There are two levels. Prevention devices make the error impossible, the wrong part physically cannot be installed. Detection devices make the error immediately obvious, a sensor triggers, a light flashes, the line stops. Prevention is always better than detection, but both are better than the third option: relying on a human to notice the defect three stations later.
Every recurring defect is a candidate. Look at what has been caught in inspection, what customers have complained about, what has caused rework. Each root cause is an opportunity to redesign the process so the mistake cannot happen again. The best Poka-Yoke solutions are simple, cheap and mechanical, a stop, a shape, a switch, not a training slide.
Poka-Yoke rejects the idea that quality depends on operator vigilance. It puts the responsibility on the process designer to make the right way the easy way. When a mistake happens, the question is not "who made the error?" but "how did the process allow it?"
A quality philosophy that aims to prevent defects rather than detect or correct them later. It emphasizes doing the work correctly the first time, every time, and building quality into every process.
The principle of designing equipment to stop automatically and to detect and address problems immediately.
A variation of Poka-Yoke, this term refers to systems designed to prevent errors by making mistakes obvious, often through simple visual cues.
A material management method in which all parts, components, tools, and documentation required for a specific product or operation are collected and organized into a single kit before production begins.
