Present in many Lean tools (5S method, Kanban board, VSM tool...), visual management is an approach that aims to facilitate the understanding of information. By synthesizing the company’s most complex data into visual elements, they become easier for teams to interpret.
These visual elements can take the form of graphical tools, indicators, interactive dashboards or dynamic displays to simplify production processes, organize tasks, facilitate collaboration, identify a problem, be part of a continuous improvement process or optimize decision-making
By using visual management, companies strengthen their communication and promote a corporate culture based on transparency and efficiency while seeking to increase their productivity.
By highlighting the most important information, visual management makes it easier to distinguish trends and identify gaps. It is also a perfect tool to assess the effectiveness of ongoing action plans and readjust them when needed. Visual management proves to be an effective decision-making method.
With more explicit communication, visual management facilitates a good understanding of the instructions. Visual management also improves employee involvement and stimulates their creativity in the search for new ideas. It is also a perfect tool to accompany in the conduct of change.
To embark on a visual management project, you must:
Each company is unique, so it is essential to identify the areas where visual management can have the most impact. Consider the different aspects of how your business works: project planning, task management, internal communication... This will help you determine where visual management can be most beneficial.
Once you’ve identified the key areas, it’s time to choose the right visual management tools. Many options are available to you: Kanban boards, Gantt charts, mind maps, scoreboards... Be interested in how each of the tools works, how they are implemented, and how they contribute to improving transparency of information, efficiency, and collaboration within your team.
The implementation of visual management requires a strategic approach to successfully introduce this methodology within your company. Learn how to train your team, establish consistent visual standards, define clear processes, and encourage adoption. Consider measuring results to make the necessary adjustments and maximize benefits.
Visual management is not limited to its initial implementation, it is a culture to maintain and cultivate in the long term within your company. Encourage innovation, creativity and improvement. Strengthen communication, engagement and productivity through this visual approach.
Once visual management is in place, it is important to regularly monitor the performance indicators related to this approach. This makes it possible to assess its effectiveness and take corrective measures if necessary to optimize its impact on the digitization of the store.
The kanban board
The Kanban board allows you to visualize the workflows, tasks and progress of the project at each stage. It materializes in the form of columns that represent the different stages of a workflow. Each task is then represented by maps that contain detailed information such as a description, a deadline, the name of the manager... The Kanban board makes it possible to visually monitor the progress of a project and manage priorities.
Benefits for Visual Management:
The Gantt chart
The Gantt chart is a visual representation of a project’s schedule on a timeline. It allows to visualize the dependencies between the tasks as well as their chronology in the form of horizontal bars. Each bar represents a task, and the position of the bar on the timeline indicates when the task should start and end. This type of diagram helps to visualize the duration of tasks and deadlines to better manage the progress of a project.
Benefits for Visual Management:
Performance monitoring dashboards
Used to measure and display key performance indicators, these tables display a real-time situation in the form of metrics, performance indicators and data relevant to the project. They make it possible to follow the evolution of objectives and results over time. Information is displayed clearly and concisely, making it easy to monitor progress and identify trends.
Benefits for Visual Management:
The Mind-map
Also called a mind map, it offers a visual representation of interconnected ideas and concepts. It is created by placing a central concept in the center of the page, then connecting branches to represent related ideas. Each branch can branch into sub-branches, creating a tree structure
Benefits for Visual Management:
The Eisenhower matrix
The Eisenhower Matrix is a task prioritization method based on two dimensions: importance and urgency. It divides the tasks into four categories:
Benefits for Visual Management:
The wall of ideas
It is a physical or virtual space where team members can display and share ideas visually.
An idea wall is a dedicated visual space where team members can post and organize their ideas, concepts and suggestions. It can be physical (like a whiteboard in a meeting room) or digital (like an online platform). Ideas are usually represented in the form of sticky notes or cards.
Benefits for Visual Management: