What's the big difference between visual and lean? Answering that question brings us closer to understanding our premise for the short series I began in issue 23 of The Visual Thinker (May 27, 2017), with the article, “Lean Alone Is Not Enough.” But first we must raise the question under the one I just asked: Why is an answer important?

The core difference between visual and lean is the medium each targets. Visual pursues embedded information and, therefore, adherence. Effectively implemented, the result of visual is stability—and stability creates reliability and repeatability (with a straight arrow pathway to sustainability). I rush to add that visuality  produces stability even in low-volume/high-complexity production—in fact, especially there.

Lean targets pull along the critical path. Lean, therefore, targets time—and its corollary, speed. The combination of the visual and lean—embedded information and time—provides the enterprise with a powerful platform for growth. Because visual and lean are both waste-reduction strategies, in combination they become a powerhouse for any company's pursuit of operational excellence: the visual-lean alliance.

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