agile3
Reference & Concepts

Jidoka

Building in the ability to stop automatically when something goes wrong, so problems are fixed at once.

2 min read · Practitioner

In 30 seconds

  • "Automation with a human touch".
  • Stop on abnormality; fix the cause before continuing.
  • In software: failing builds, automated checks and andon.

Origins

Jidoka traces back to Sakichi Toyoda's automatic looms, which stopped when a thread broke so a defect couldn't continue. It became one of the two pillars of the Toyota Production System, alongside just-in-time.

The principle

  1. Detect the abnormality.
  2. Stop.
  3. Fix the immediate problem.
  4. Investigate and fix the root cause.

In software

  • Builds that fail on broken tests, blocking merges
  • Poka-yoke checks in pipelines
  • Andon-style alerts that stop deployments

Myth vs reality

Myth · Jidoka means full automation.
Reality · It combines automation with human judgment.
Myth · Stopping work wastes time.
Reality · It prevents defects from multiplying.
Myth · Only machines need jidoka.
Reality · Processes and teams apply it too.

FAQ

How does jidoka relate to andon?

Andon is the signal; jidoka is the stop-and-fix principle.

What's the other TPS pillar?

Just-in-time.

How do we start?

Make your build stop on any failing test.