Can you see what I am doing ?

What do you do when you visit a production or administrative area for the first time ?

I know what I used to do – I searched for any kind of KPI board or meeting board with problems etc. to get an idea about how people work with performance and problem solving. Many posts I read here on LinkedIn equals KPI boards with visual management. And for me it has been like that for many years as well. But the boards are primarily performance management and not visual management.

But what is visual management then ?:

•Visuals in an area that makes it possible for a manager, or any person, to walk through the area and be able to tell the current status of:

•Safety – are any safety procedures being violated and have any deviations been registered ?

•Quality – are there more defects or rework than normal ?

•Delivery – are our products and services being prepared and delivered on time ?

•Cost – is productivity as planned ?

So basically, the same information you will get from visiting the KPI board – the only difference is that the board will always be “old news” and too late for actions.

Besides the performance status a visual management system will tell you if work processes are being done in alignment with standard operating procedures. This is a key element of visual management and a prerequisite for doing Gemba walks. Often you will find that employees appreciate the visuals as well as it makes it easier for them to remember and follow the standards. This improves self discipline and makes onboarding of new colleagues much easier.

What to look for ?:

•Visuals should show the “Normal” and “Not Normal” situation according to standard.

•For any visual there must be clear rules of action in case the situation is “Not Normal”

•Examples of simple visuals:

•Marked area with an indication of what should be in this place.

•Max/Min indicators on gauges or material buffers

•Dedicated place for defects etc.

•Check lists/log sheets for cleaning or service on specific time or intervals

Creativity is required when establishing these and expect that the visuals will have to be adjusted many times before they show what you need. The target is to be able to walk through the area (Gemba walk) and be able to know the current status without having to talk to anybody. Only if deviations (Not Normal) are observed it will be required to ask why and to understand if the right action was taken.