FINAL WORD modern assembly line . In this model , each individual on the line is a highly-trained specialist who performs the same series of tasks with exacting precision .
Few of us think about the assembly line as a process that engenders creativity . A productive assembly line is measured more by efficiency than it is by inspiration .
Because lost time equals lost money , this approach to manufacturing lives by the mantra : ‘ Keep the assembly line rolling , no matter what ’. If a particular product in the chain was defective , you pulled it off the line immediately . And the line kept rolling . In this tradition , quality control inspectors spot checked the line , but ultimately , hierarchy prevailed and only upper managers reserved the right to halt the line .
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However , as Japanese manufacturers began to rebuild after the Second World War , they pioneered a new way of making production a creative endeavor : they engaged workers and made quality control a priority over output – a somewhat radical and counterintuitive idea at the time .
The Toyota Production System , which emphasizes both excellence in technical performance via standardization of work and continuous improvement – as well as quality in people ’ s work lives – is perhaps a better reference model for the software factory .
Whereas the conventional factory model demands that the production line never stops , the TPS assigns responsibility for finding and fixing problems to every employee . If anyone , at any level , spotted a problem , they were expected to stop the assembly line .
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