ABSTRACT
Visual documentation comprises a contemporary treatise on method. Introducing a document into shared space — submitting it to a process of public scrutiny — results in better ownership of the knowledge and opportunities for constructive criticism. Technical documentation concretely represents the transformation of employees' knowledge into centralized knowledge. By expanding the range of visual documentation, a firm launches a collective endeavor in which each person can participate at his or her own level. The absence of appropriate documentation does not necessarily produce problems with quality or reduce efficiency. Things may proceed satisfactorily for years, until the point when the firm may be confronted by unstable markets that force it to reduce production periods and inventories. Visual documentation in a work location creates a knowledge field, where the sharing of information and adaptation of rules and methods will occur.
