Audit template in the LeanSuite app
Last reviewed
Visual management audit checklist
Check boards, signs, floor markings and status displays in an area. Use it monthly.
The full question list
The 29 questions in the audit
Every question is answered Yes, No or N/A. Each No is flagged and asks for a photo and a comment, so the finding arrives with its evidence.
Visual workplace: Where things go: the 5S layer
- 1Walkways, work zones and storage areas are marked, and the marking is intact
- 2Floor marking colors follow the site color code, and the code is posted at the area entrance
- 3Every item on the floor sits in a marked place, and nothing sits outside one
- 4Shadow boards are complete, or each missing tool is signed out
- 5Racks, shelves and bins are labeled with the item and the quantity
Visual displays: What is happening now
- 6The production board shows plan against actual for the current hour
- 7Every red result on the board has a reason and an owner written next to it
- 8Each board has a named owner and an update time, and it is up to date
- 9Machine and line status can be seen from the aisle (andon light or status board)
Visual controls: What to do, without asking
- 10Min and max levels are marked at stock locations, and stock is between them
- 11Kanban cards or signals are in use and in their right place
- 12Gauges, fluid levels and lubrication points are marked with their normal range
- 13Go/no-go gauges or color-coded limits are at the point of use
- 14The andon has a written response: who comes and how fast
Visual metrics: Which way the numbers are going
- 15KPI and tier board charts are updated as often as the site standard says
- 16Each chart shows its target, so an off-target result stands out
- 17Metrics off target have actions listed with an owner and a date
Visual standards: What correct looks like
- 18Work instructions are posted at the point of use and are the current revision
- 19One-point lessons are posted where the task is done
- 20A photo of the area standard is posted, and the area matches it
- 21Audit status is visible and current (kamishibai cards or audit board)
Safety visuals: Hazards and help, seen from the travel path
- 22The PPE needed in the area is shown at its entrance
- 23Extinguishers, eyewash, first aid and emergency stops are marked and not blocked
- 24Hazard zones and restricted areas are marked and signed
- 25Forklift routes and pedestrian walkways are marked apart
The 5-second test: Stand at the edge of the area and look
- 26A visitor can tell within a few seconds whether the area is ahead of or behind plan
- 27A visitor can see where a problem is without asking anyone
- 28A missing item, an empty location or a stopped machine stands out
- 29Out-of-date signs and boards nobody uses have been taken down
When to use it
- Once a month.
- An auditor or leader answers each question from what they see, hear and read in the area.
How it is scored
The template is built with points per answer and a pass mark of 80. In this library every audit is set to pass at 80 and every inspection at 90. Each submitted audit shows its score and pass or fail, and every No is flagged with its photo and comment.
Change the points or the pass mark after you clone it. How rules and scoring work.
More in lean, 5s and daily management
- Visual management standards audit checklist6 questions
- Tier 2 management meeting audit checklist6 questions
- Visual standards board audit checklist6 questions
- 5S audit checklist25 questions
- Break room and locker room audit checklist6 questions
- Changeover execution audit checklist11 questions
Use this template in LeanSuite
It is ready in the Template Marketplace inside Lean Creator as “Visual Management Audit”. Clone it into your plant, change any question, then schedule it to a person, role or asset with reminders. Auditors complete it on a phone or tablet, with photo evidence where required.
Not on LeanSuite yet? On a 90-day pilot our team sets up your account and digitizes the forms and checklists you use today, this one included.