Accomplish the 4Ps model using Visual Management tools: a case study approach

The spread of Lean methodologies in the Western production reality over the last few years, along the lines outlined by the so-called ‘Toyota Production System” (TPS) has not proven to be always effective. Implementing such a methodology is, indeed, not just a technical matter, but it also affects cultural and methodological aspects, according to the principles described by the 4P Liker’s model, namely philosophy, process, people and problem solving. A crucial factor which results to be highly important whenever undergoing an optimisation path of this kind is represented by the adoption of Visual Management, which has proven to be a back-up tool highly effective in the achievement of results in the long term. An insight regarding how these tools and techniques affect the different fields described by Liker is, though, still unknown in literature. Based on six real case studies, success stories of correct Visual Management logics implementation, this paper aims to describe the impact of Visual Management in a lean organisation, taking as reference the four distinctive dimensions described in Liker's 4P model, by building a relationship map that links visual systems with the different functionalities they absolve and the benefits they bring. The results of the analysis show how effective Lean visual systems are globally on all the considered fields, but with a different ratio among the single different tools, for which it may be necessary to take a more ‘quantitative’ approach to better define in which measure each instrument impact on the different management aspects.