How Visual Management Systems Help Reduce Waste

In the fall of 2020, Kaas Tailored hosted a series of Zoom calls unpacking our Daily Management System (DMS). Each month we focused on a different element of our DMS, starting with strategy, then discussing daily huddles, then talking about Visual Management Systems (VMS), and ending with Leader Standard Work. In this post, Jeff explains what a Visual Management System is.

Using a Visual Management System is based on one of our values at Kaas Tailored, that we want to Know and Show the Truth. We know that human beings can take in a lot of information through their eyes, and they don’t actually have to speak English to understand a lot of what’s going on. 

One of the advantages of having such a diverse workgroup, as we have at our company with over 14 languages spoken in our factory, is that Kaas Tailored has to be thinking of ways that we can allow people to know the truth so that they can move freely without waste. 

It’s based on a little bit of thinking that the truth can set you free, and in the original text, it was said that the truth can set you free from being a slave to missing the mark. We believe that letting a human being work with waste is absolutely missing the mark and prevents them from realizing their full potential. 

A Visual Management System is just designed so that people can know the truth, respond quickly, and get back to creating value. The main waste that we target with a Visual Management System is motion waste; instead of searching for actionable information, you are able to know the truth and act.

If you’d like to learn more about how to implement a Daily Management System within your organization, or more about Kaizen and Continuous Improvement, consider signing up for a Kaas Tailored Waste Tour.