Digital Visual Management Tools in Design Management

Managing design often requires a complex organisational structure, due to the large number of internal and external stakeholders involved. That complexity demands an information system to support collaboration and coordination. However, traditional communication approaches only partially comply with the requirements of digital design environments. Visual Management (VM) has the potential to increase process transparency in design and facilitate the information transfer between stakeholders. Nonetheless, there is a lack of effective VM methods to support design management. The aim of this paper is to investigate the adoption of digital VM tools in design management. The paper presents findings of an ongoing research project developed with an infrastructure design company in the UK, following the Design Science Research approach. The main findings include the discussion of VM concepts in a digital design environment, as well as the analysis of existing VM tools which contribute to new ways of working and communicating.