5S is one of the most fundamental principle in Lean.It is especially important during the early phase of Lean implementation when companies are using concepts such as 5S and TPM to create standards and establish operational stability. Visual management serves as the key sustaining force for many popular lean techniques including 5S, standard work, total productive maintenance (TPM), quick changeover, and pull production. Many lean techniques and principles rely on visual management starting from floor marking using adhesive floor tapes to the large visual displays and scoreboards. Eliminates the need for time consuming meetings.Improves employees involvement and morale.Improves the communication between different shifts.Increases the awareness of waste and waste management.Reduces downtime and maintenance costs.Creates stability to the environment, equipment and work performed.Visual management offers other benefits including: Employees will quickly identify and react to safety, quality, efficiency problems. Workplace visuals can play an important role in job training which will eliminate the need for constant supervision. Therefore, effective visual communications can have impact on safety, productivity, cost, quality, on-time delivery, inventory and equipment reliability. Research shows that people tend to learn and process information more visually. Visual controls are also used to share goals and ideas, report team and Kaizen progress, and indicate safety risks and promote safe behavior at work. When problems and deviations are visible and apparent to all, immediate corrective action can be taken to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the processes. It can reduce the opportunity for miscommunication, highlights abnormalities and deviations, and provides an immediate insight to what needs to be done next. Employees also need visual displays that show what is expected from them and to keep them informed about production status and customer needs.Īn effective visual management system seeks to display production status and performance information, communicate standards and work instructions, make problems and abnormalities as apparent as possible and show identity and directions. Ideally, everyone should be able to assess the status of a situation at a glance, even the casual observer. Lean organizations rely heavily on visual management to detect abnormalities and reinforce standards while ensuring stability and safety in the workplace. It is a system of information displays, visual controls, labels and signs, color coding and other markings instead of written instructions. Visual Management is a business management technique that communicates important information in the physical workplace.