Lean teams use visual management because problems that can be seen get solved faster. When the normal state is obvious, an abnormal one stands out without a report or a meeting.
Where it comes from
Visual controls are part of the Toyota Production System, where andon lights, kanban cards and marked locations let people see the state of production without asking.
At a glance
From seeing to preventing
Swipe sideways to see the whole diagram.
How to apply Visual management
- 1
Decide what people need to know
List the questions a team member or leader asks during a shift: are we on plan, where does this go, is the machine running, what is the next job.
- 2
Make the standard visible
Show the normal state with floor markings, shadow boards, labels, min and max lines and posted standard work.
- 3
Make the status visible
Show actual against plan with hour-by-hour boards, andon lights and kanban boards, updated at the point of work.
- 4
Make problems visible
Use red markers, a problem board or an andon call so an abnormal condition stands out immediately.
- 5
Link visuals to action
Agree who responds to each signal and how fast. A board that nobody acts on soon gets ignored.
Worked example (illustrative)
A machining cell posts an hour-by-hour board with a target of 24 parts an hour and a column for the reason when an hour falls short. On the first morning, two of four hours come in at 17 and 18, and both reasons say parts were waiting for a first-off inspection. The team leader checks the board every hour and takes that reason to the improvement meeting. The cell gets its own gauge for first-off checks, and short hours from that cause drop from two most mornings to about one a week.
Common mistakes
- Putting up boards full of charts that are updated weekly by someone outside the team.
- Making signals visible without agreeing who responds and how fast.
- Adding so many visuals that the important ones get lost.
When Visual management is not the right tool
Where most work happens on screens, as in software or back-office teams, a wall board can fall out of date. A shared digital board that the team updates as it works may serve better.
Visual management and andon cord signals
An andon cord is visual management at its most direct: one pull turns a light on and calls for help. Kanban cards, floor markings and 5S shadow boards are quieter visual controls.
Visual boards are the center of a daily management system, where the team reviews them in a short huddle.
Levels of visual devices
Gwendolyn Galsworth sorts visual devices by how much they do. A visual indicator only tells, like a label or sign. A visual signal grabs attention, like an andon light. A visual control limits what people can do, like a marked floor space that holds only so many pallets. A visual guarantee makes the wrong action impossible, which is poka-yoke.
The diagram above follows a similar ladder. When a problem keeps coming back despite a sign, move one level up rather than adding another sign.
Guides on this topic
- Gemba walk checklist: questions, form and routinesA gemba walk checklist with before, during and after steps, question sets for flow, safety and quality, and a free printable gemba walk form and question cards.Read the guide
- Lean construction: principles, techniques and how to startLean construction applies lean thinking to building projects. Learn the principles, the eight wastes on site, the Last Planner System and how to start.Read the guide
- 5S audit checklist: questions, scoring and a templateA 5S audit checklist with five questions per S for manufacturing, office and warehouse versions, scoring guidance, and free printable forms and an Excel sheet.Read the guide
- Kaizen 5S: how 5S and kaizen work together in leanKaizen 5S explained: what 5S and kaizen each do, how they support each other in lean management and how to run them as one daily habit.Read the guide
Sources
Books and papers show their publication year. Web pages show the month we last checked them.
- 1.Hiroyuki Hirano, 5 Pillars of the Visual Workplace: The Sourcebook for 5S Implementation (Productivity Press, 1995)
- 2.Gwendolyn D. Galsworth, Visual Workplace, Visual Thinking: Creating Enterprise Excellence through the Technologies of the Visual Workplace (Visual-Lean Enterprise Press, 2005)
- 3.David Mann, Creating a Lean Culture: Tools to Sustain Lean Conversions (Productivity Press, 2005)