James, Ajith TomKumar, GirishGoyal, ManasviPrakash, Prachi2025-12-232025-12-02James AT, Kumar G, Goyal M, Prakash P (2025;), "Development of a framework for Poka-Yoke system performance assessment during the service design for attaining leanness". International Journal of Lean Six Sigma, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLSS-04-2024-00812040-4174https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLSS-04-2024-0081http://10.0.100.94:4000/handle/123456789/1298Purpose This paper aims to develop a framework for assessing the futuristic Poka-Yoke system performance of service businesses toward attaining leanness during their design phase considering various factors enhancing Poka-Yoke system performance. The paper also attempts to validate the framework by implementing it in the service business of pathology laboratories. Design/methodology/approach Various factors and subfactors that enhance Poka-Yoke system performance are identified through literature. A structural methodology based on graph theory and matrix approach is applied to developing the Poka-Yoke system performance index (PYSPI). The Poka-Yoke enhancing factors and their interrelations, with due consideration of their structure, are modeled through graph theory. The performance factor digraph is defined; the nodes of this represent the Poka-Yoke enhancing factors, while the edges represent their degrees of interrelationship. The equivalent matrix of the digraph forms a Poka-Yoke system performance function that will yield the evolution of the PYSPI.enLeanPoka-YokeService industryDigraphPoka-Yoke system performance indexDiagnostic servicesArticle