Lean, Not Backpressure
13 hours ago
- #Quality Assurance
- #Lean Manufacturing
- #System Design
- Lucas Costa's article discusses handling code-generating robots but misuses 'backpressure,' which is about slowing upstream processes rather than improving quality.
- The lean manufacturing philosophy is more fitting, focusing on managing unstable human input and respecting workers by designing fault-tolerant processes.
- Key lean practices relevant to system design include single-piece flow, autonomation (jidoka), and poka-yoke to ensure quality by construction.
- Managers often wrongly blame workers for quality issues instead of improving system design, a mistake highlighted by Deming's insights.
- With robots, the need to blame processes over entities is obvious, reinforcing lean principles in system building.