ABSTRACT
The goal of visual management is to make waste, problems, and abnormal conditions readily apparent to employees and managers. As an alternative approach, visual management is a mindset, more than a specific technology. Visual management should also, ideally, be used for real-time decision-making. Visual management has two main tenets: first, make problems or status visible; and, second, manage those situations, reacting as needed in the short term and solving root causes of those problems over the longer term. Hospitals often use visual management to identify the status of patients or their needs, facilitating real-time decision-making. Visual management can also be used to create awareness or prevent problems. In one hospital laboratory, simple visual management methods were used to prevent specimen testing delays. The systematic kanban method not only minimizes stockouts, but also prevents an accumulation of excess inventory. The 5S methodology reduces waste through improved workplace organization and visual management.
