ABSTRACT
Visual management in the form of cell, focus factory, and business metric displays is critical to the sustaining the continuous improvement cycle and Gemba Walks. Metrics provide the quantitative data to drive behavior, assuming there is relevancy and genuine interest shown by business leadership. Huddle boards along with quality, delivery, inventory, and productivity (+QDIP) boards are two great tools for visual management, communication, and—most importantly—continuous improvement. At the top of leadership huddle board should be the five or six most important daily metrics, which will help drive the business to meet its yearly goals. The daily metrics commonly include: daily sales, daily bookings, safety, daily quality, and on-time delivery. The team huddles are usually held at the focus factory level, department level, or sometimes even the cell level. The key performance indicator board emphasizes root-cause analysis through its Pareto sheets, which is advantageous from a Toyota Kata standpoint when indoctrinating the concept of root-cause analysis into managers culture.
