The Japanese concept of Poka-Yoke (mistake-proofing) is oriented to finding and correcting problems as close to the source as possible because finding and correcting defects caused by errors costs more and more as a product or item flows through a process. The concept of Mistake-Proofing involves:

• Controls or features in the product or process to prevent or mitigate the occurrence of errors and/or;
• Requires simple, inexpensive inspection (error detection) at the end of each successive operation to discover and correct defects at the source

Ideally, mistake-proofing should be considered during the development of a new product to maximize opportunities to mistake-proof through design of the product and the process (elimination, replacement, prevention and facilitation). Once the product is designed and the process is selected, mistake proofing opportunities are more limited (prevention, facilitation, detection and mitigation).