How to use a lean daily management system?

In this blog series we want to take you along the journey of continuous improvement. Lean 5S was designed to eliminate faults, to organize and optimize the workspace. There are a lot of steps that you can take on the journey to a 5S workspace. One of them is the lean daily board, or daily management system. In this blog we will take you through the steps and explain what the result can be for your team and workspace.

What is a daily management system?

On a daystart board you can merely find the daily occurrence and changes in the workplace. Daily management is a continuous process for improvement within the team. For example by managing daily with a visual board, you can quickly identify errors and solve them on the spot for higher productivity and most importantly: enjoy your job even more!

‘No matter how sophisticated the technology is, the power of visualisation with manual metric boards cannot be underestimated.’

– Manu Liyanarachchi, Continuous Improvement Lead at Coca-Cola Amatil

What should be on your lean daily management board?

With this board you can keep a daily track of the current state of (for example) the production process or the amount of calls coming in. This depends on the workspace you are using it for. At a glance, you can see the tasks you have to do to improve productivity.

For continuous improvement you can use different methods like 5S, Kaizen or DMAIC. Moreover it can also represent who is working and is doing what.

To identify and solve problems accurately, there are several metrics and charts that can assist you. These will give you an insight in the current situation in your workplace. It allows you to be flexible and solve any problems on the spot.

For the lean daily management board there are a few components that are very important:

  • KPI: Key performance indicator
    Provides managers with advanced warning signals that there may be problems ahead.
  • Data measuring chart (could be for the amount of calls coming in, or the amount of products produced)
    Tracks productivity. If this is lower than the average, a manager can intervene proactively and find out why the numbers are lower.

Who can use a daily management system?

The sky is the limit! Teams in every sector can use a lean daily board. The only requirement is that the tasks of that team or that workplace is recurring. For example, production spaces, warehouses, but also hospitals and call centers.

When it comes to the board, anything is possible. You can make it as big and detailed as you wish. You choose your own building blocks and build from there.

We would advise you to think about the subjects that are really valuable for your team, after that, put that on the board. The best part is, every board has different needs and with PATboard, you can customize everything.

Have a winning daily start with PATboard!

In conclusion, there are a lot of ways to put together your daily management board. You can either preprint a whiteboard with all the components, or print the same templates everyday. One is not really flexible and the other is not sustainable.

We found the perfect way to keep it easy, but also flexible: magnetic holders with printed templates!

Printed templates are set metrics and charts printed on high quality paper. This is more sustainable and can be used over and over again in combination with our Title,- and Document holders.

The Title,- and Document Holders are reusable, so you can use the printed templates over and over again. With these tools you can totally customize your board, and keep it organized at the same time!