A visual control builds on 5S. It uses organization and standardization to make an abnormal condition stand out.

In a Lean environment it does three things:

A visual control shows the current condition quickly.
A visual control shows what the standard is quickly.
A visual control links to an action.

Simply put, visual controls helps Lean companies make quick, pre-planned decisions without guesswork.

As an example…A visual control is often used to highlight an abnormal condition. You may see a defined number of spaces taped off for defective items at the end of an assembly line. If the spaces get full, the inspector stops the line and everyone works to clear out the problem items.

This, of course, means there are underlying problems with your processes if you need rework spaces. You should be working to eliminate those issues. But this is a common sort of visual control to help manage defects. The rework system has a clear visual and an established response. With the taped off spaces, anyone walking by can, at a glance, see how many units are in the area and how many spaces are free. The “control” part of visual controls means that there is a plan to take action when the last spot is full.

A few final thoughts on visual controls:

The visual control should highlight that a problem exists, even to someone who is unfamiliar with the process.
Use the 10-foot, 3-second rule. Make a visual control so obvious that a trained person can tell what is going on by looking at the area for three seconds from ten feet.

Two well-known types of visual controls are andon lights and kanbans.

Visual Control