Definition
A management method that displays standards, actual status, and abnormal conditions directly at the workplace, enabling anyone to quickly judge whether operations are normal without checking systems or waiting for reports.
In detail
Visual management is a mechanism for information presentation and abnormality exposure, not equivalent to 5S. 5S establishes an orderly, maintainable workplace; visual management turns targets, boundaries, locations, rhythm, and deviations into colors, lines, boards, or status signals. Good visual management must let the observer know "what the standard is, what the current state is, where the gap is, and who is handling it." Simply posting data on the wall without judgment criteria and responsible actions does not count as visual management.
Example in practice
The production team places targets and actual daily results for safety, quality, delivery, inventory, and productivity on the same board: green means on target, yellow means on target but still has an action item to follow up that day, and red means missed, with the responsible person and closure time written next to each red or yellow cell. The supervisor can judge where escalation is needed by walking to the site; if the board only has monthly figures without target lines and action items, it cannot help the site correct deviations in a timely manner.