Each Toyota Production Philosophy principle has useful ideas. But we recommend focusing on the part about organizing the right production process. One of the principles is: "A process as a continuous flow makes it easier to identify problems." You can see what this means from the company's history.
In 1924, Sakichi Toyoda (father of Toyota founder Kiichiro Toyoda) invented the new weaving machine. Its main advantage was that the loom stopped when a problem occurred: breakage or thread breakage. Stopping the machine guaranteed that there would be no defects. And years later, this principle became part of the Toyota production system, which incidentally was based on revenue from the sales of weaving machines.
A seemingly inconspicuous idea. The benefits of stopping a machine are clear: it lowers costs by reducing waste. But what are the benefits of stopping production? The former President of Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Teruyuki Minora, explains this as follows:
"If there is a problem in production, which is organised as a single piece flow, the entire production line is stopped. In this sense, it is a very bad production system. But when production stops, everyone has to solve the problem immediately. So, the team members have to think, and by thinking, the team members grow and become more mature people and better team members."
When the creators of the production system talk about flow, they don't just mean the assembly line. They mean the operation of the company as a whole. In this sense, the principle applies to every company, including the hospitality industry.
The work process should be reorganised to create a continuous flow. If everyone is like a cog in a wheel, completing their tasks appropriately and on time, the entire organisation can deliver service that persistently meets brand standards. Thanks to the established links between processes and people, any problem is recognised immediately. This flow must become part of the organisational culture that every single employee understands. This is the key to continuous development and improvement.
A seemingly inconspicuous idea. The benefits of stopping a machine are clear: it lowers costs by reducing waste. But what are the benefits of stopping production? The former President of Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Teruyuki Minora, explains this as follows:
"If there is a problem in production, which is organised as a single piece flow, the entire production line is stopped. In this sense, it is a very bad production system. But when production stops, everyone has to solve the problem immediately. So, the team members have to think, and by thinking, the team members grow and become more mature people and better team members."
When the creators of the production system talk about flow, they don't just mean the assembly line. They mean the operation of the company as a whole. In this sense, the principle applies to every company, including the hospitality industry.
The work process should be reorganised to create a continuous flow. If everyone is like a cog in a wheel, completing their tasks appropriately and on time, the entire organisation can deliver service that persistently meets brand standards. Thanks to the established links between processes and people, any problem is recognised immediately. This flow must become part of the organisational culture that every single employee understands. This is the key to continuous development and improvement.
Work slowly
The competent allocation of time and resources for standard daily tasks is dedicated to a large part of the Toyota principles. For example, like this: "Work like a tortoise, not like a hare"!
It is necessary to distribute the workload evenly to avoid forced downtime and overtime. What exactly needs to be done? Set standards and monitor compliance with them.
A good hotelier should standardise literally everything: the procedures for accommodating guests, the maintenance of the room stock, the service in the restaurants and bars, the cleaning. As a rule, such standards exist in large hotels, but there are problems with control. The most common issues are the untimely or incomplete cleaning of rooms and bad customer service.
It is necessary to distribute the workload evenly to avoid forced downtime and overtime. What exactly needs to be done? Set standards and monitor compliance with them.
A good hotelier should standardise literally everything: the procedures for accommodating guests, the maintenance of the room stock, the service in the restaurants and bars, the cleaning. As a rule, such standards exist in large hotels, but there are problems with control. The most common issues are the untimely or incomplete cleaning of rooms and bad customer service.
Automate everything
You can solve such problems by automating the workflow. How can Hoop be useful for your business? Book a demo and find out.
Hoop has digitised the service standards and allows to control their implementation. Each room is cleaned according to a checklist and the distribution of tasks to employees in shifts is automatic. In this way, all tasks are evenly distributed. This avoids both staff downtime and overtime. This ensures that there are no inconveniences, such as a delay when a guest checks in. The status of the room (vacant, cleaning in progress, ready for check-in) is always displayed in the system.
A well-established workflow will reveal inefficiencies and bottlenecks in staff performance. It may turn out that with the right work system, some staff can do more, take on other tasks or be released from a shift or work altogether – resulting in significant savings.
The bottom line is that the hotel runs like a finely tuned Toyota assembly line. The responsiveness and visibility of the processes is increased. The guest does not realise how clearly your "assembly line" works, but appreciates the speed and quality of the service. The overall customer satisfaction level increases, and so does the hotel rating and its business performance.
Hoop has digitised the service standards and allows to control their implementation. Each room is cleaned according to a checklist and the distribution of tasks to employees in shifts is automatic. In this way, all tasks are evenly distributed. This avoids both staff downtime and overtime. This ensures that there are no inconveniences, such as a delay when a guest checks in. The status of the room (vacant, cleaning in progress, ready for check-in) is always displayed in the system.
A well-established workflow will reveal inefficiencies and bottlenecks in staff performance. It may turn out that with the right work system, some staff can do more, take on other tasks or be released from a shift or work altogether – resulting in significant savings.
The bottom line is that the hotel runs like a finely tuned Toyota assembly line. The responsiveness and visibility of the processes is increased. The guest does not realise how clearly your "assembly line" works, but appreciates the speed and quality of the service. The overall customer satisfaction level increases, and so does the hotel rating and its business performance.
