The Power of Visual Signals

One of the first lessons learned is that Kanban means visual signal. As our delegation spent our first full day (Sunday) in Tokyo we discovered a common sense of empathy with Children’s families. Families arrive at the hospital doorstep even less prepared for the language, culture, and rules of the hospital than our group in our first day in Japan.

In downtown Tokyo we found that simple things can be confounding if you do not understand the language. At a buffet line we were challenged to open the lid on the electronic rice cooker when all the buttons were labeled in Kanji. We abandoned the rice option feeling child-like in our inability.

Our team discovered the magic of symbols and pictures paired with willing, helpful people. With these aides we were able to take subways, buy items and for the most part order what we wanted for dinner.

We plan to take this experience back to Seattle and hopefully see the world of Children’s a little more through the eyes of the Spanish speaking family from Yakima, or the Alaskan mom and daughter that in the day prior were in the clinic of their remote Aleut village. Based on this experience we will be looking for evidence of signs, symbols and helpful people that will translate and assist these families in the foreign land and experience at Children’s.

In the days ahead will we be working through simulations featuring the different types of Kanban systems. After the simulations and lectures we will be visiting factories such as Yamatake, a supplier of bathrooms to the Boeing 737, to actually work through the process of extending the number of kanbans used in their plant.

The challenge ahead is first to thoroughly understand the Kanban process and then start to dream about the applications. We look forward to sessions involving quite a bit of math and hoping that in the instruction we will have plenty of signs and symbols.