Mistake proofing

- When you open a microwave door while it is heating your food, the microwave shuts off immediately. Thank goodness it does. That's mistake proofing. Would it be useful to have mistake proofing in your processes, products, and services? Let's discuss the basic principles of mistake proofing and how they can be applied during the Improve phase of a Six Sigma project. Mistake proofing or error proofing, as it is sometimes called, is best when it prevents errors from occurring, and if that's not possible, the next best thing is to facilitate the work so that errors are minimized. Lastly, if errors do take place, then detection should be obvious and immediate, or automated. There are basically three levels of mistake proofing. Here they are in order of preference: prevention, facilitation, detection. The most preferred form of mistake proofing is the prevention of errors. A perfect example of this is the way ATMs…