Visual Management, A Status At A Glance

In Visual Factory
September 4, 2013
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In
the game of baseball why do fans repeatedly look at the scoreboard when the
action is clearly on the field? The scoreboard answers important questions
about the status of the game. It tells us how our team is doing in relation to
the goal, to win the game! Visual management is the scoreboard for our business.

Visual
management provides a clear and common understanding of goals and measures of
the business. With this information employees are able to align their actions
and decisions with the overall strategic direction of the company. It is also
an open window to factory performance, and it provides the same unbiased
information to everyone, whether owner, manager, operator, or visitor.

The
goal in Visual management is to create a “status at a glance” in the workplace.
This refers to an operating environment where anyone can enter the workplace
and:

See
the current situation (Self-explaining)

See
the work process (Self-ordering)

See
if you are ahead, behind or on schedule (Self-regulating) and

See
when there is an abnormality (Self-improving)

Visual
management is the language of the Lean production system. The Gemba is about
observation and our observation is greatly enhanced by the ability to see the
“status at a glance.” Without it we can’t see the wastes in our factory, which
are the greatest source of potential improvements in customer service and
business performance. Visuals ensure that what is supposed to happen happens on
time, every time by everyone involved.

The
key objectives of visual management are:

Give
the status (Indicator Lights)

Direct
and locate things (Road signs)

Indicate
actions (Traffic Lights)

Show
what is right or wrong (Lines in parking lots)

Although
each tool has a different objective, the goal of all visual management tools is
the same: Status at a Glance. For a leader, especially a leader in an
organization that is on the pathway to a Lean transformation, visual management
is one of the most fundamental and necessary elements to success.

There is irrefutable evidence that a “shared vision”
is critical to the success of today’s businesses. Visual management communicates
the “shared vision” along with an understanding of how each individual should
contribute toward that success. It’s a company-wide “nervous system” that
allows all employees to understand how they affect the factory’s overall
performance.