What is Visual Management? What are its types and benefits?

In this competitive market landscape, to scale your business on an upscale graph all your employees must be on the same page. Your employees are the most valuable asset, and empowering them with the right information is essential for achieving your strategic objectives.

We understand a manufacturer’s challenge, conveying the company’s goal and expectations for the day, quarter, and year to every employee individually can be impractical. This is where visual management comes in.

This guide will tell you how a visual management system can revolutionize your organization. Let’s dig in!

Visual management is a game-changer for businesses, through which one can communicate important information in a visual and real-time manner. It is a method of labels, signs, markings, information displays, and visual guides instead of long written instruction documents. Lean organizations, known for their efficiency, heavily rely on visual management. It delegates them to quickly identify problems, reinforce best practices, and maintain a safe and stable work environment.

Technique of Visual Management works as sharing information, following work guidelines, standard expansion, identifying problems, and stopping the issues.

It is an important part of lean manufacturing that prioritizes effectiveness and quality as an approach to production. Visual Management makes it simple for every employee to understand what/how and when has to be done. This technique is done with the help of charts, graphs, and other visual aids. Workers can work more productively and error-free when information is more visible.

• Sharing Information
• Developing Standard Work
• Sharing Standard Work
• Highlighting Problems
• Solving Problems

There is a vast variety of visual management and organizations can choose any of them that suits their business the most. No matter what method you are using there are some common benefits of visual management such as:

• Easily Understand Information- If visual management is used precisely, it presents information in a way that is quick and easy to understand, also you can tell if we are winning the situation from five feet away, in five seconds.
• Ensure Smooth Operation- Visual management helps you to keep things running as it is decided. You can track the outcome of a specific process that has been modified as a part of continuous movement efforts.
• Promote Quality Controls- We use this technique to make our workplace error-proof, by making things to do right.
• Ensure Transparency- By determining what information people need to know, you can keep your team informed and share information in the way it was intended.
• Encourage Employee Engagement- Visual management allows you to see how your team is performing and how their work is impacting results, which helps staff be more connected to the work.
  

There are majorly 3 types of visual management such as:

• Visual Displays- We use visual displays to provide a visual representation of data like graphs, charts, ad diagrams.
• Visual Metrics- We use this method to measure the performance of a process such as cycle time, lead time, etc.
• Visual Control- Easily monitor and control processes like andons, warning sensors, and poka-yoke.

5S and visual management are two concepts that go along. However, they are not exactly the same thing, they work together to create a more effective and organized atmosphere at your organization.

Visual control is the use of visual systems, such as signs, labels, and floor markings to transfer information and values ​​in the workplace. Its aim is to make the current situation clear at a moment’s notice, requiring them to be slightly explained.

On the other hand, 5S is a method of organizing the enterprise. It has five steps like, Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain. This step creates a cleaner, more efficient, and safer work environment.

The aim of visual management is to transfer precise information about shop floor process and production statuses into easy-to-understand visual form. This visualizes the power of the scoreboard, highlighting how it provides a quick and clear understanding of the entire operation’s performance.

Some of the common example of visual management are labeling supplies and work areas, posting rules and procedures, and using color coding system to track performance. Workers can identify issues more quickly and respond to them more effectively when information becomes clearer. Visual management can therefore facilitate Lean manufacturing processes and ultimately raise overall productivity.

• Continuous Improvement Boards
• Project Status Boards
• Daily Management Boards
• 5S Control Board

By leveraging visual management, you encourage a culture of transparency, empower your workforce, and ultimately achieve greater stability and efficiency within your organization. There are many top visual management tools such as:

• 5S (Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize, Sustain)- With this technique, you can remove unnecessary items, organize tools and materials, clean the workplace, establish standards for processes, and easily maintain and review standards.
• Kanban Boards- This a tool through which you can manage workflow, majorly divided into columns like to do in progress and done, which helps track assigned tasks and limit work-in-progress. 
• Andon- This tool comes along with visual signals that indicate the status of a process, showcasing issues or when help is required to maintain smooth operations. 
• Gemba Walks- Managers and supervisors can easily observe the production of the floor through visual cues and displays to identify areas for improvement.
• Shadow Boards- These shadow boards outline tools and equipment, ensuring each item has a designated place, making it easy to see if something is missing or out of place.
• Visual Work Instructions- This is a step-by-step guide that comes with pictures or diagrams to help workers understand the task, and reduce the chances of errors and the time required for training.
• Performance Boards- These boards display key performance indicators (KPIs) such as production rates, quality levels, and safety metrics to keep everyone informed about the team’s performance.
• Color Coding- In this technique, we use different colors to categorize items, areas, or statuses, allowing quick identification and understanding of information at a glance.
• Floor Markings- Easily mark the floor lines and symbols to specify work areas, storage, and spaces to enhance the safety of an organization.
• Information Centers- Locate the center location where you want to put important documents, notices, and updates are posted, keeping essential information accessible to all employees.
• Poka-Yoke (Error Proofing): Prevent errors, and ensure mistakes are detected and corrected immediately. 
• Digital Dashboards: Display real-time data and metrics, providing up-to-date information for decision-making and performance monitoring.

Visual management takes visual control a step further. It uses visual tools to not only communicate information but also to achieve specific goals and strategies. Think of it as the overarching philosophy that guides the implementation of visual controls.

• Company goals and objectives: Clearly expressed so that everyone is aligned with the big picture.
• Performance Dashboard: Monitor key metrics to track progress and identify areas for improvement.
• Project timelines and Kanban boards: providing a clear visual representation of workflow and progress.
• Safety management: highlighting potential hazards and appropriate safety measures.
  

Consider visual control as a building block and visual management as a system. Visual applications provide the tools needed for clear communication, while visual control explains both the processes and objectives supported by these tools. When used together, it is a powerful system that:

• Empowers employees: Giving them the information they need allows employees to take ownership of their work and contribute effectively.
  
• Increases productivity: Real-time data visualization enables faster problem identification and resolution, reducing disruption and delays.
  
• Fosters a culture of continuous improvement: Visual interventions encourage everyone to actively participate in identifying and implementing improvements.