5S & Visual Management at the wedding
Who says a Puerto Rican wedding is not a good place to find examples of Visual Management?
On our latest trip down to Puerto Rico, my brother-in-law got married. At the reception, during one of my trips to the bar, imagine my surprise when I saw the display shown in the picture! I immediately thought, “I have to share this with the World!” By the way, in case you are wondering, the signs say “Knife”, “Cork Opener” and “Opener” from left to right. Now, one can argue the very valid point that this is an “out-of-control” system since someone put the scissors along with the bottle opener on the space in front of the “Opener” sign. However, it made me very happy to see that people from all walks of life (not just us, nerdy engineers) understand and enjoy the benefits of 5S and Visual Management. And you can imagine that when the reception was firing on all cylinders, the bartenders were very appreciative of knowing exactly where these items were!
The picture above does not necessarily mean they were doing Visual Management, correct? Just like plastering the walls of our factories, hospitals or offices with pretty signs does not mean we are engaging in the practice of Visual Management. The signs by themselves are just visual aids at best. It is what we do with the information they provide that defines whether they serve a higher purpose or not.
That is, if we do not respect the min/max levels painted on the walls, if we do not return the ultrasound cart to its designated location, or if one of the bartenders at the wedding did not place the cork opener back in its place, then, the signs are just that: words on a wall. However, if we place an order when we see the stack of paper below the minimum level marked on the wall, if we raise a flag that the ultrasound cart has gone missing when it is not in its place or being used and if the bartenders moved the scissors to a different location (or made a new space for it), then it becomes Visual Management. Do you see the difference? When you are acting upon the information the signs are giving you, THEN you are engaging in Visual Management! If you do not act, there is no “management”. It is the TRIGGER that defines Visual Management and what separates it from Visual Aids.
The point the picture above shows is that Visual Management is not hard to implement and does not require expensive technology to put in place. In fact, there are those who preach that more rudimentary approaches work best since they do not depend on any technology (such as computers or printers) and can be implemented very easily by the people at the gemba; right where value is added. I actually firmly believe that we can automate systems to create and print out charts or signs without taking time away from people who are adding value. But, if there is concern that this may become a wasteful activity (spending 30 minutes every day to create a report), then, I agree one-hundred percent that a rudimentary approach is the way to go.
In any industry, in any organization, even in your personal life, there is always opportunity to implement a good Visual Management strategy and reap the benefits of it. Just like the bartenders at the wedding knew…
Do you have a success story about Visual Management you want to share?