Toyota “andon” cord lets any worker stop production to fix defects

Explains how true quality improvement needs both tools and a culture of safety, using Toyota’s andon cord as a lesson for Agile and Scrum adoption in organisations.

Published on 12 May 2025

Written by Martin Hinshelwood

1 minute read

https://nkdagility.com/resources/BIT0P3MRDj9

In manufacturing, Toyota introduced the “andon” cord—a simple chain any worker could pull to stop the entire line if they saw a defect.

When American car companies copied the idea, they installed the cord… but workers were too afraid to pull it.

The tool was there. The empowerment was not.

The same failure happens in Agile and Scrum adoptions every day.

Installing Scrum Events without building a culture of transparency and continuous improvement is cargo cult thinking. You’re copying the tool without the ethos.

Scrum is not your safety net. Your culture is.

If you punish people for raising issues, don’t be surprised when they stop speaking up.

How safe is it in your organisation to pull the metaphorical andon cord?

Also published on: LinkedIn

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