When to Standardize, and When Not To

October 31, 2025

I once visited a company that had a 20-page procedure on how to label a box. Every font size, color code, and tape type was defined, and every improvement required a committee approval. They had order, but no improvement.

A few months later, I visited another facility where everyone labeled boxes differently. One used a marker, another printed labels, and another added notes on sticky paper. They had freedom, but no consistency.

Both companies were missing the point. Standardization is a tool for learning, not control.

The Purpose of Standardization

Standardization doesn't exist solely for freezing a process. It lets you create a baseline for improvement.

A good standard is like a photograph of the current best-known method, not a law carved in stone. It allows you to measure, compare, and evolve. Without it, every improvement is an accident instead of a system.

So the goal isn't to eliminate variation entirely. It's to understand which variation adds value and which adds chaos.

When Standardization Works

1. When the task is repetitive and critical: consistency matters (e.g., safety checks, calibration, sterile operations).
2. When errors are costly: standard work reduces cognitive load and makes mistakes visible.
3. When you're building a foundation for training: clear standards accelerate onboarding and skill transfer.
4. When you want to reveal waste: standardization exposes abnormal conditions so they can be fixed.

Standards don't remove human judgment. They make it easier to apply it where it counts.

When Not to Standardize

1. When creativity or experimentation is the goal: early-stage R&D, problem-solving sessions, design work.
2. When a process is unstable or unknown: standardizing chaos only locks in waste.
3. When ownership is missing: if people don't help create the standard, they won't sustain it.

Over-standardization kills engagement and turns improvement into compliance. The real power lies in knowing when to standardize and when to let people think.

How to Strike the Balance

• Build with people, not for them. Involve the users of the process in designing the standard.
• Keep it visible and simple. One page beats ten. A photo beats a paragraph.
• Review it regularly. Standards are living documents. If they don't evolve, they die.
• Encourage "better way" thinking. Every standard should invite the question: Can this be improved?

Standardization should feel like a tool for empowerment, not a cage for control.

Closing Thought

Standardization brings stability. Improvement brings growth. You need both, but never in excess.

As Taiichi Ohno said,

"Without standards, there can be no improvement." But also, without improvement, standards don't mean much.

So ask yourself: What's one process in your area that's crying for a clear standard, and one that needs more freedom?

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