Poka-Yoke, which means "avoiding unintentional error" in Japanese, is a Lean aimed at designing processes and products in such a way that it becomes impossible to make mistakes. The goal is to prevent defects, rather than having to detect and correct them after the fact.

Poka-Yoke solutions are often simple and inexpensive mechanisms built into a process or product. The method, developed by Shigeo Shingo, is based on two main types of error prevention:

• Prevention: These are measures that make it impossible for an error to occur. The process is physically or technically blocked until the correct action is taken.
• Detection: These are measures that alert or stop the process as soon as an error occurs so that it can be corrected immediately.

Examples of Poka-Yoke in everyday life:

• USB plugs: The shape ensures they only fit into the port one way, preventing damage to the plug or port.
• Washing machines and microwaves: They do not start when the door is open. This prevents accidents and damage.
• Cars: You must press the brake pedal before starting a car with an automatic transmission to prevent the car from moving unintentionally.
• SIM cards: The cut-off corner ensures that the SIM card only fits into a phone one way.

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