Comments on: Restaurant Visual Management System – The Coffee Lid

By: Pete Abilla

Pete Abilla — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 19:40:34 +0000

Hi Mark – yes, I agree with you and that’s clearly the formal use of the term and is aimed at “making hidden things unhidden”.

My use of it in this context fits squarely with work instructions as you state. It just so happens that effective and simple work instructions contain pictures too.

By: Mark Graban

Mark Graban — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 13:37:32 +0000

I ‘ve had many a bad experience with Starbucks not putting the lid on properly. I’ve learned to “inspect” this as a customer. Not cool.

I think the example you show here is cool, but it seems more like a work instruction and a visual aid than “visual management.”

I was taught that visual management is something that allows you to see how the process is performing at a glance. I don’t think this example quite fits into that category.

By: Vicente Lluch

Vicente Lluch — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 10:22:43 +0000

More close of the cofee example. My wife never knew when the contents in the dishwaser were dirty or clean. I said, put a signal when the cleaning cycle have finished. She puts a red clothes-peg into the machine. When she starts putting dishes in the washer she hangs the clothes-peg in a place we can see easily. In that way we manege that issue.

Best,