Visual management is the methodology used to communicate information and data in a clear and concise manner, making it easily accessible and understandable to employees.
One of the principles we follow during all our consultancy sessions is what we call the 3-second rule. It’s simple – we ask:
What is Visual Management?
Visual management is a methodology used to communicate information and data in a clear and concise manner, making it easily accessible and understandable to employees. It is a key principle of Lean management, aiming to improve communication, productivity, and efficiency within an organization. Visual management uses visual cues, such as charts, graphs, and boards, to display important information, enabling employees to quickly grasp the current state of operations and make informed decisions. By transforming complex data into visual formats, it ensures that everyone, from frontline workers to senior management, can stay informed and aligned with the organization’s goals.
Benefits of Visual Management
The benefits of visual management are numerous, including improved communication, increased productivity, and enhanced efficiency. By making information easily accessible and understandable, visual management enables employees to work more effectively, reducing errors and improving overall performance. Visual management also promotes transparency, accountability, and a culture of continuous improvement, leading to increased employee engagement and motivation. When employees can see the impact of their work and understand the broader context, they are more likely to take ownership of their tasks and contribute to the organization’s success.
Visual Management Boards
A visual management board is a tool used to display important information and data in a clear and concise manner. It is a key component of visual management, providing a centralized platform for communication and collaboration. Visual management boards can be used to track key performance indicators (KPIs), monitor processes, and manage 5S activities, among other things. They are an essential tool for any organization looking to improve communication, productivity, and efficiency. By centralizing critical information, a visual management board ensures that everyone is on the same page, facilitating better teamwork and faster problem-solving.
Designing and Implementing Visual Management
Designing and implementing visual management requires careful consideration of several factors, including the purpose of the visual management system, the type of information to be displayed, and the audience. The 1-3-10 rule is a useful guide for designing effective visual management boards, ensuring that information is easily accessible and understandable. The rule states that viewers should be able to understand the board’s objective in one second, the current condition in three seconds, and any countermeasures implemented in ten seconds. This approach helps in creating a visual management system that is not only informative but also actionable, driving continuous improvement and operational excellence.
The 3-Second Rule
The 3-second rule is a key principle of visual management, stating that viewers should be able to understand the current condition of a process or operation in three seconds. This rule is essential for designing effective visual management boards, ensuring that information is displayed in a clear and concise manner. By following the 3-second rule, organizations can improve communication, productivity, and efficiency, leading to increased employee engagement and motivation. When information is presented in a way that is instantly understandable, it empowers employees to make quick, informed decisions, thereby enhancing overall performance and responsiveness.
The 3 Second Rule
Can I walk into any area and understand within 3-seconds how things are going?
Too often, it is impossible to walk into a manager office, a department, the team office, workshop or maintenance room and understand if the business area is doing well or not. There are often things on the wall, scribbles on the whiteboards or the windows, but often nothing which communicates the performance and what are the key challenges and issues. The board, such as an SQDCP board, can help teams track performance across key metrics like Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and People, facilitating collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.
The issue is that problems remain hidden. Somewhere, someone has an incredible 10-page report hidden on their computer which they produced for the last team meeting. And what is out of sight is out of mind.
The 3 Second Rule is one of the principles practices of Visual Management in Lean.
The Goals of the 3 Second Rule
The goal is twofold. Firstly, being able to visually communicate in 3 seconds performance requires a clarity of purpose, a simplification of goals, and a clear understanding of what is really important.
Secondly, it means that everyone in the team (and whoever visits the area from other teams or senior management) is completely aware of the performance, the issues the team is facing and the successes.
Visual management in Lean
1) It is essential that visual management doesn’t become like wallpaper so identify for each team or process the top vital metrics and make those visible in the most straightforward way possible. A grided whiteboard may be all you need with red and green pens to indicate a RAG status.
2) Avoid the temptation in the early stages to make an online dashboard. These tend to work much better once the team has developed the habit.
3) Make sure that potential problems are visible so that everyone will be aware of what is happening. For example, this might be when a team’s workload goes above a critical level or when a certain number of issues in a day/week/month happen. Or when production falls below a certain target level.
4) Go through your current reports and ask “So What?”. Reports should be designed to drive action. A report that does drive a set of activities is what we call a “So What?” report. To simplify your reports, try to move towards single-page documents. And make sure that the report will drive critical actions that are linked to the results.
5) Don’t hide user instructions – make them visual. There is no point in having well-documented processes in the shared folders that no one ever looks at except for the yearly audit requirement. Once again, see how ‘work instruction’ can be made visual to support the process.
6) Most companies fail to go far enough when it comes to visual management, so be brave. It’s better to go too far and then cut back once you learn what really adds value e.g action!
7) Apply 5S – Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardise and Sustain. This is an incredibly effective way to organise physical work environments. It not only helps you identify what you need and don’t need, it also helps keep track of items that are regularly moved or used.
