Jidoka is the lean principle of building quality in by detecting an abnormality and stopping the work at once, so defects are not passed downstream. Machines stop themselves and people are expected to stop the line. It is one of the two pillars of the Toyota Production System, with just-in-time.

What are the steps of jidoka?

As the jidoka guide on this site lists them: detect the abnormality, stop the process, fix the immediate problem, and investigate the root cause and put in a countermeasure so it does not come back. The worksheet has a column group for each.

What does separating human work from machine work mean?

When a machine detects an abnormality and stops itself, nobody has to stand and watch it run. The operator loads, unloads and checks, and can look after more than one machine. Steps that still depend on someone watching are candidates for a sensor or a poka-yoke device.

How is this different from the andon response log and the poka-yoke worksheet?

The andon response log records each andon call after it happens, with response and fix times. The poka-yoke worksheet designs one error-proofing device for one job. The jidoka worksheet plans, for a whole line or cell, which abnormalities stop the work, how they are detected and who responds, and logs the stops against those plans.

What response time target should we set?

There is no single standard: the site sets it by type of call and by how fast the line runs. The example uses 2 minutes for the team leader and 5 for maintenance and quality. Log real response times and adjust the targets and the number of responders from what you see.

Free template

Updated October 2, 2026

Jidoka worksheet (stop at abnormality)

Jidoka, often translated as autonomation or automation with a human touch, is the lean principle of building quality in by detecting an abnormality and stopping the work at once, so a bad part never moves downstream. It is one of the two pillars of the Toyota Production System, alongside just-in-time. This worksheet plans jidoka for one line or cell, with one row per abnormality that should stop the work, laid out under the four steps the jidoka guide on this site lists: detect, stop, fix and investigate. For each row you write the process step and the abnormality (a defect, a missing part, an overcycle or a machine fault), how it is detected (a sensor, a poka-yoke device or an operator check), how the work stops (the machine stops itself, the operator presses a button or pulls a cord, or the line stops at a fixed position), who is called and by which andon signal, a response target, the immediate fix or containment and the root cause step. Page 1 is the blank register; page 2 explains the steps, separating human work from machine work, the related templates and a worked example. The Excel version adds a coverage check that flags steps with no detection, a log for up to 300 stops with the response time against the target, and counts by step and type with a chart. Response targets are example values the site sets.

Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.

Page 1 of the jidoka worksheet — Detect, stop, fix, investigateAbnormality registerDetection methodHow the work stopsAndon call and response targetImmediate fixRoot cause stepStop log

Filled-in Jidoka worksheet (stop at abnormality): a six-station bearing housing line — The same sheet filled in with the worked example (page 2 of the PDF, illustrative numbers). Open full size (opens the picture in a new tab)

When to use it

When to use a jidoka worksheet

When setting up a new line or cell, to decide which abnormalities stop the work and who responds.
When defects are found at final inspection or by the customer instead of at the step that made them.
When andon calls go unanswered or answered late, to agree who is called for what and how fast.
Before adding sensors or poka-yoke devices, to see which steps still depend on someone watching.

How to fill it in

1
List the process steps
Walk the line or cell with the team leader and an operator and write the steps in order. In the Excel version they go on the Steps sheet and feed the register's drop-down.
2
Write each abnormality that should stop the work
For each step: the defects, missing parts, overcycles and machine faults that should not pass on. One row each.
3
Record how it is detected and how the work stops
A sensor, a poka-yoke device or an operator check; then whether the machine stops itself, the operator stops it, or the line stops at a fixed position. A step with no detection is a gap to decide on.
4
Agree who is called and how fast
The person who responds to each stop, the andon signal that calls them and a response target in minutes. The target is an example value the site sets, not a standard.
5
Write the fix and the root cause step
The immediate fix or containment, such as a red bin and a check of the parts made since the last good one, and who finds the root cause and puts in a countermeasure, by when.
6
Log real stops and review them
Record each stop with the response time, whether it was fixed and whether the root cause was done. Review late responses and open root causes each week, and update the register.

A filled-in example

Illustrative, not a benchmark

An example: a six-station bearing housing assembly line with a takt of 60 seconds (illustrative numbers).

How the example line detects its 7 abnormalities

Sensor: 3 abnormalities
Poka-yoke device: 2 abnormalities
Operator check: 2 abnormalities

Coverage: 5 of 6 steps. The gap, label and pack, got a label scan check. Stop response: 7 of 10 within target.

The register lists 7 abnormalities: 3 defects, 2 missing parts, 1 overcycle and 1 machine fault. Three are detected by a sensor, two by a poka-yoke device and two by an operator check.
In five of the seven the machine stops itself; in one the operator pulls the andon cord; an overcycle stops the line at a fixed position.
Coverage: 5 of 6 steps have a detection method. Label and pack has none.
A week of stops: 10 logged, 26 minutes of response in total, so 2.60 minutes on average. 7 of 10 were within target (70%). Two late responses were at press-fit, including maintenance at 7 minutes against a target of 5.

The team added a label scan check at the last station and went through the late press-fit responses with maintenance. Three root causes were still open at the end of the week, all at steps 2 and 4.

Common mistakes

Stopping without investigating
Detect, stop and fix without the fourth step is only reacting. If the root cause is not found and a countermeasure put in, the same stop comes back.
Nobody answers the call
An andon signal with no agreed responder or response time is just a light. Name who comes for each type of stop and check the response times.
Relying on someone watching
A step where the only detection is an operator noticing is easy to miss on a busy shift. Mark those steps and look for a sensor or a poka-yoke device.
Treating stops as failures
A line that never stops is often hiding problems. Count stops to find causes, not to blame the people who stopped the work.

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