How do you monitor your performance with lean metrics and visual management?

1 What are lean metrics?

Lean metrics are measurements that align with the principles of lean manufacturing, which seek to eliminate waste, optimize flow, and increase value. These metrics focus on customer satisfaction, quality, delivery, cost, and safety, and must be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely. For instance, customer satisfaction looks at how well you meet or exceed customers' expectations and needs; quality assesses how well you prevent defects; delivery evaluates how well you deliver your products on time; cost determines how well you reduce expenses; and safety gauges how well you protect workers from hazards.

2 What is visual management?

Visual management is a method of displaying information in a clear, simple, and accessible way. It can be used to communicate goals, standards, and performance to team members, managers, and customers. Visual boards, visual controls, visual signals, and visual standards are all examples of visual management that can help identify and solve problems quickly and effectively. Visual boards display key performance indicators (KPIs), targets, and results. Visual controls use signs, labels, colors, and symbols to indicate the status, location, and direction of processes and materials. Visual signals like lights, sounds, and flags alert to problems or changes. Finally, visual standards use charts, diagrams, and photos to show best practices for products and processes.

3 How to choose lean metrics?

To choose lean metrics that suit your operations, you need to consider your objectives, customers, processes, and resources. Additionally, you should define your value proposition to understand the value offered to customers and how it is measured. It is also important to identify your value stream to understand the steps and activities involved in delivering value and how they add or waste value. Analyzing your current state can help identify gaps and opportunities for improvement while designing a future state requires changes and actions to achieve a desired outcome. Finally, implementing and evaluating these changes can help measure their impact and effectiveness.

4 How to implement visual management?

To successfully implement visual management in your operations, it’s important to use clear and consistent language and visuals that everyone can understand. Place the visuals in locations that are easy to see and access by your team, managers, and customers. The visuals should relate to your goals, standards, and performance, as well as provide useful and timely information. Additionally, the visuals should encourage feedback, collaboration, and problem-solving among your team, managers, and customers. Lastly, make sure to update the visuals regularly and adjust them as needed to reflect changes and improvements.

5 How to monitor your performance?

To monitor your performance with lean metrics and visual management, you need to establish a routine and culture of continuous improvement. This includes reviewing your metrics and visuals daily, weekly, and monthly to track progress and identify problems and opportunities. Additionally, compare actual results with targets and benchmarks to measure performance and gaps. Celebrate achievements and recognize team efforts and contributions. Analyze problems and root causes, then implement corrective and preventive actions . Seek feedback from team, managers, customers, and involve them in the improvement process. Learn from mistakes and successes, then share best practices and lessons learned.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?