Exploring Visual Management Purposes in Construction Projects

The application of the lean construction principle of increasing process transparency is the main purpose of Visual Management (VM), a strategy for making information clear and accessible. There are other purposes of VM, such as continuous improvement, job facilitation, and simplification. However, the connections among those purposes are not fully explored in the literature, which limits the current conceptual understanding of VM. The aim of this paper is to propose a conceptual map of the VM purposes in construction projects, based on the analysis of three VM practices. This research study is part of a broader ongoing research project which objective is learning and teaching about VM through a serious game that considers different VM aspects. Design Science Research was the methodological approach adopted in this investigation. The main findings of this study are concerned with some connections between different VM purposes. Some of these purposes are specific, while others are more generic. Moreover, a specific purpose may have a different meaning for each practice, so context analysis plays an important role. Finally, different ways of shared understanding by using VM practices have been identified, such as by adhering to standards or by encouraging collaboration.