1. Example of a visual display board that highlights short- and long-term quality issues for the laboratory.
Example of a visual display board that highlights short- and long-term quality issues for the laboratory. Items on a visual display board are grounded on lean principles. The “Hot Button List” section of the display board focuses on laboratory workload statistics, safety issues, daily operational status, and customers’ feedback. The “Lean Daily Management System (LDMS)” section highlights progress on quality improvement projects and captures kaizens, which are small improvement projects that contribute to lean transformation. This low-cost visual media can be used during daily huddle meetings in clinical microbiology laboratories to recognize staff, celebrate successes on ongoing projects, and track efforts to meet institutional goals that align with strategic plans. A mobile white board facilitates sharing of relevant information at other meeting locations. The LDMS tool includes technical staff and management, reinforces accountability, and informs and engages everyone during the lean process.
Roberta B. Carey et al. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 2018; doi: /CMR