What do we mean by visual management and now can it help you?

My definition of Visual Management is the process of creating a workplace that has
eliminated information deficit.

It is the process of creating an environment where things are obvious from the minute
you walk into the area.

Visual Management is achieved by inserting time saving, useful information or clues into the workplace in a
way that flows naturally with the value adding steps of the product or service you are providing.

Visual Management helps to make our jobs easier.

It helps us to eliminate the wasteful motion involved in searching for information or items that should be there
when we need them.

By creating a visual work environment we breathe life into our processes and make them come alive.

Visual information needs to be relevant, useful, and up to date.

How we present information is only limited to our own imaginations.

Barriers to good Visual Management

Visual Management is often an area that people shy away from.

Why?

.

.

 Visual Management is not a new thing

 
The famous industrialist Robert Owen introduced the idea
of a "silent monitor”. This was to encourage people working
in the mills.

The monitor was a small, wooden block which hung next to
each person's machine. The colour facing out showed how well
things were going.

As Robert Owen walked through the mills he could immediately
see the issue areas on the shop floor, without talking to anyone.

Practical Visual Management

What are some of the things we need to consider when implementing Visual Management?

Make the work visible and obvious

How often do you walk into an office and there is clutter

everywhere. It is not at all clear where today's work is.

Make the work visible, organised and easy to see! Avoid hiding the

work in different locations.

Make the current performance against customer requirements visible

Do we have a target and how are we collectively doing against that target?

If you go to a sports match there is generally some sort of scoreboard to tell you how each team is doing and
what the score is.

Do you have anything similar in your workplace?

Make Waste jump out at you

By having a place for everything and everything in its place, abnormality becomes easy to see.

For instance, if we size our storage to take only the items we require, and there is excess, then there is no
place to store the excess and the waste screams out at you!

What equipment do we use and is it clear where it is stored and where it should go back to once finished with?

Some useful Visual Management Techniques

Andons

An andon is a device to indicate that the process has stopped for some reason.
This can be as simple as a coloured block that you place on top of your workstation
(just like Robert Owen), or a flashing light that is connected to a central support
resource.

Signage

Professional signage can be a great
way to create visual control.

Colour Coding

Creating a colour code that everyone understands
can have great visual impact.

Floor Marking

Indicate what should go where.

Visual Procedures

Use  text and pictures to describe the process right
beside where the action takes
place.

Shadow Boards

By creating a shadow around an item then it is easy
to see where the item should be returned.

What you need to do now:

The main purpose of this article is to get you to take action about Visual Management.

Here is what I want you to do.

Have a walk through your workplace.

Stand for a moment and look over your area.

Is it obvious what is going on?

If you were a stranger, could you work out what is happening, and how well things are going?

If there a lot of clutter?

Is there little useful up to date information displayed in an eye catching interesting,
memorable way.

Is there good signage. Is it obvious where things should go?

If you cannot answer "yes" to all of these questions then it is time to get started in creating a visual workplace.

Hope this helps

Best regards,

Graham Ross

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