Unit 10

Everything is Visible in Lean and Why

Management Still Matters

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Objectives

• Understand that Lean is all about visuality;

• seeing waste,
• seeing potential in our associates,
• seeing value flow through the company to our
customers.
• Represents that which is not visible.

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Visual Management

What does visual management do for us?

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Visual Management

Allows us to –
• Identify abnormal conditions
• Create common understanding
• Drive accountability
• Increase communication

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Visual Management Commitment

“A visual workplace is a self-ordering, self-explaining, self-

regulating, self improvement work environment – where
what is supposed to happen does happen, on time, every
time, day or night – because of visual solutions”.
Gwen Galsworth, Visual thinking, Visual Workplace

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Visual Management

Why is visual management important?

Shared Understanding
Focus to Gemba
Accountability and Continuous Improvement

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 What’s a Gemba Walk?

A Gemba Walk is the practice of observation and

collaboration at the place where work is being done.
In a Gemba Walk, leaders visit the work area to glean first-hand
knowledge regarding:

• How products are built

• How services are provided
• Current challenges
• Opportunities for improvement

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 Gemba Walk

What’s the difference between Gemba Walks and Management By

Walking Around?

Different Goals
Different Destinations
Different Tactics
Different Outcomes

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 Why Gemba Walk?
There’s a big difference between discussing processes and problems
in a conference room and going out into the “field” to see how the
work is done.

“Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and you're 1,000 miles
away from a cornfield.” -President Dwight D. Eisenhower

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Top 5 Reasons to Gemba Walk:

Gaps

Communicate

More open

Opportunities

Fresh set of eyes

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 Keys to Successful Gemba Walks
Focus on the Process

Observe and Learn

Mix It Up

Test Assumptions

Walk with a Cross-Functional Team

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Keys to Successful Gemba Walks

Don’t Adjust the Process or Correct Employees During the

Walk

Don’t Rely on the Manual

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 What To Do After a Gemba Walk

Preparation for, and thoughtful execution of, the Gemba walk is

important, but the significance of what happens next can’t be
overstated.

The Gemba Walk is simply the first step on your improvement

journey.

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 First, do a post-Walk reflection

1. Is standard work being adhered to?

2. Is the workspace appropriate and stocked properly for the job that’s being
done?
3. Were any of the seven wastes observed?
4. Are employees engaged?
5. Did employees mention or demonstrate any frustrations with processes?
6. Does every step add some sort of value?

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Then follow up with post-Walk action

Ideas for improvement are written on

note pads or shared in email, but never
acted upon.

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Implement Captured Improvements

“Asking for ideas for improvement and failing to

implement them is worse than never having asked
at all.

It shows employees that you don’t care about their

ideas. At least before you asked, they could give
you the benefit of the doubt.”

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Gemba Walks

Measure Engagement and Impact

Share Improvements

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VISUAL MANAGEMENT

9 VISUAL MANAGEMENT AREAS

Quality
Delivery
Cost

S.H.E

PEOPLE

KPIs
MACHINE

MATERIAL METHODS

MAKE ABNORMALITIES &

STATUS VISIBLE
Assess Where You Are

What visuals do you have in place?

Are they being used?

Decision-making?

Are they ignored?

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Common Visual Management

Balancing Act

Need to be Simple

Point is to radiate information

Provide visuals that drive – collaboration, understanding,

accountability – need to draw people to them

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Visual Management

What about Distributed Teams?

What can we do?

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VISUAL MANAGEMENT

PRINCIPLES OF VISUAL MANAGEMENT

Hazards Visual Recognition

Safe Areas Visual Display
SAFETY 5S Eliminates Workplace Clutter
Awareness of Safety Measures

Associates Works Progress

VISUAL Production Rate
PRODUCTIVITY Progress Towards Goals
FACTORY Production Status
Efficient Operators

Operator Prompts for Error Proofing

Clearly Marked Tools Reduce Errors
Visible Calls to Support Personnel for Parts
QUALITY Shortage / Problems
Reduce Rework
Immediate Indication of Out of Tolerance
Variables
VISUAL MANAGEMENT

Other VISUAL MANAGEMENT Tools

1. Visual Control Boards.

2. Andon
3. Footprints
4. Signage
5. Obeya
4. Hansei
VISUAL MANAGEMENT

VISUAL BOARD
What is Visual Control Board
1. A color-coded , physical visual control system used for monitoring of shop-floor activities
and KPIs.

Use of Visual Control Board

1. Visual boards are used as activators and data communication center.
2. The visual board area is used for shop-floor meetings.
3. A centre of periodical progress reviews and updates.
4. Used to drive the business processes from the boardroom to the shop floor.

Benefits of Visual Control Board

1. It quickly gives visibility to the progress of each tasks for further action.
2. Identifies the resources and activities being undertaken.
VISUAL MANAGEMENT

VISUAL BOARD
Red zone indicates
the supplier is on the
verge of not satisfying Other pertinent information
their customer. Very (e.g.. Quality performance)
low level of goods would be contained in the
maintained. information section.

Yellow zone indicates

customer
requirements are
being met. Low level
of finished goods The cards hanging on
maintained. the hooks in the
colored zones reflect
Green zone indicates the part number
the customer’s needs identified in the section,
are being fulfilled. a given quantity of
Supplier is building material in one
more than the container. When a card
customer is requiring is on the hook it
and it may be time to indicates an empty
stop production until container.
demand is more in
line with supply.

This is an example of a pull board that could be used with internal operations, as shown, or even with
external customers.
VISUAL MANAGEMENT

ANDON
What is Andon
1. Andon (Japanese for lantern) is a tool for visual
management and refers to a system of signals
used to indicate the operational status (at a
glance) of a machine or work center.

2. It can be used manually or automatically.

3. It also one of the principle elements of the Jidoka

quality-control method.
VISUAL MANAGEMENT

ANDON
Use of Andon

1. Alerts management and other workers to quality or

process problem.

2. Gives the worker the ability to stop production when a

defect is found, and immediately call for assistance.

3. Indicates where the alert was generated, and may also

provide a description of the trouble whether shortage of
material or maintenance call or supervisor call.
.
VISUAL MANAGEMENT

ANDON
Defect created or found

Part shortage
Common reasons
for manual
activation of the
Andon
Equipment/Tool malfunction

A safety problem exists

VISUAL MANAGEMENT

ANDON
Benefits of Andon
1. Reduces operation & maintenance costs by identifying problems before they become
major issues.
2. Increases equipment availability by making downtime issues more visible, thus
prompting immediate rectification to the issues.
3. Supports Jidoka implementation by making the problem status visual.

Mechanism of Andon

Abnormality Andon Indicator Response from

support team
VISUAL MANAGEMENT

ANDON
Types of Andon
1 Visual Andon

Text Graphics Coded signal lights

 Ideal for STOP /
WAIT / GO signaling
 Display production data in in busy factories
real time.  Boost health and
 Calculate shift efficiencies safety.
and production targets.
Green - no problems
Yellow - situation requires
attention, production flow at risk
Red - PRODUCTION STOPPAGE:
IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE
REQUIRED

2
Audio Andon

Coded Coded Buzzers / Prerecorded

Tones Tunes Alarms Messages
VISUAL MANAGEMENT

FOOTPRINT
What is Footprint
1. Markings on the floor or work area outlining specifically where items should be placed.

Benefit
1. To ease employees during storage or retrieval.

2. It avoids employees wasting time looking for things or pondering their next move.

3. The workplace becomes clean and better organized.

4. Operation on the shop floor and office become easier and safer
 .
5. Visible location of parts or equipment for easy traceability and save time of searching
VISUAL MANAGEMENT

FOOTPRINT
CREATING FOOTPRINT
1. A footprint is an outline of the items required at work areas indicating where the items
should be placed.
2. Rules about footprints or floor borders

a) Mark from the floor up to workbenches etc

b) Start with plastic tape to test out, then move to paint
c) Use colours to code footprints as shown in the following example, as a guideline :

Light Blue - Raw parts/material

Black - Finished good/parts

Red - Non-conforming/KIV parts/material

White - Other than parts/material

Yellow – Border of work area

VISUAL MANAGEMENT

FOOTPRINT
Light blue for raw material Black for finished part
Yellow for work area border

LINE
SOZAI KANSEI

5S CORNER TOOL CABINET NG QC CORNER VISUAL BOARD

Red for non-conforming part

White for equipment

VISUAL MANAGEMENT

SIGNAGE
Signage is any kind of graphics created to display information.
Two types of signage
1. Displays
 A visual display relates information and data to employees in the area. For example, charts showing
the monthly revenues of the company or a graphic depicting a certain type of quality issue that group
members should be aware of.

2. Controls
 A visual control is intended to actually control or guide the action of the group members. Examples of
controls are: stop signs at intersections, handicap parking signs, or no smoking signs.
Obeya

Japanese for “Big Room”

Team members working in the same room

Face to Face Comunication

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Hansei

Japanese term for "“self-reflection."”

Reflection meetings

"Thinking is the hardest work there is. That's why so few

people do it." Henry Ford

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Hansei

Hansei typically has three elements:

Individual recognition of a problem – a gap between

expectations and achievement

Individual responsibility for the problem and deep regret

The individual commits and makes a plan to improve

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 Questions
to stimulate Hansei and Lean Thinking
Have we analyzed this process in the
context of its value stream?
(to consider flow between processes)
Have we performed process analysis?
(to consider flow within the process)

Which Lean Principles are broken?

In what ways?

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Making the Invisible Visible

Visual management allows

Caption copy goes
us to represent in the
here
physical workplace that
which is not visible on its
own.

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Why Leadership Still Matters

Caption
Leaders copy
are angoes
essential key
to enabling and sustaining
here
positive change in IT,
development of people, and
creating a culture of
transparency.

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Lost in Translation
• It is tricky getting people to see and embrace how
company purpose and strategy directly apply to
their daily work.
• High-level objectives may be difficult to translate
into daily tactics.
• Managers play a pivotal role in making a vivid
connection between purpose and behavior –
connecting strategy to execution.
• For an organization to be effective, associates,
managers, and executive leaders need to do their
jobs very well.

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Roles, Primary Responsibility and Focus
Role Primary Responsibility Focus
Associates Frontline workers Do the work; improve the
creating value for way we work
external and internal
customers
Managers The performance of Develop your people; get
people (divisions, results; sustain
departments, teams) improvements
Leaders The overall performance Create and articulate the
of the organization vision; set strategic
direction; develop your
people; achieve
sustained results

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You’re Only as Good as the People Around You
• A critical role of leaders, particularly those
supporting a Lean IT transformation, is to
develop his or her people.
• People development refers to problem solving,
communications, and teamwork skills.
• Leaders who actively work with their people
and go to the gemba regularly, begin to
understand and appreciate the power of
people armed with problem solving skills;
makes highly effective teams.

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Your are the Key

• Being an Effective Coach

• Listening
• Communicating
• Observation
• Support
• Patience
• Empowerment
• Respectful Leadership

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Leading With Respect

• Go and See
• Challenge
• Listen
• Teach Problem-Solving Skills
• Support
• Enable Team Work
• Learn

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The Coach in You – A Reflective Journey

• The leaders role is evolving into more of a

coaching role and develops people.
• Effective coaching drives and accelerates an
effective Lean transformation.
• Leaders turned Lean transformation
coaches should seek a mentor to help
transition into this new role.

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Unit 10 Assignment – Individual Effort

A new Vice President has just been transferred from marketing to take
over manufacturing, His undergraduate degree was in engineering in
addition to an MBA. He has not worked in engineering or operations
for many years. Your three-person Lean transformation team now
reports to him.
You and your team meet with him in the afternoon of his first day on
the job. He asks you to explain this “Lean thing”. He asks you and
your team to specifically help him understand the visual management
system that is in place. In short, he does not understand what it all
means.

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 Unit 10 Assignment
In this assignment you are to design a PowerPoint presentation that will help him
understand and answer the following questions:

1. Why is making everything visible so essential to the workplace?

2. Why is visual management so important to a Lean transformation?
3. What is a Gemba Walk? Why do we do this? What do we gain from it? Why should I
participate?
4. If we are developing self-directed teams and utilizing them throughout the organization –
What role(s) do our front line, middle, and senior leaders play?

Your PowerPoint presentation should be at least 5 pages (excluding the cover page). You are
to provide clear and thoughtful answers to each question and offer a convincing rationale for
each of your answers.
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Hansei

Hansei typically has three elements:

Individual recognition of a problem – a gap between

expectations and achievement

Individual responsibility for the problem and deep regret

The individual commits and makes a plan to improve

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