Improvement Boards With Future, In Progress, Complete, Shared, and Stuck Columns
A shared visual board that tracks every improvement idea from proposal through sharing so knowledge does not get lost.
- Creator
TheAMEConnect- Improvement date
- June 16, 2024
- Company
Southwest Steel Buildings- Wastes
Improvement ideas get raised in one area, worked on quietly, and then forgotten. Nobody can see what is planned, what is stuck, or what proven fixes are ready to reuse elsewhere.
The facility runs improvement boards in every area with columns for Future, In Progress, Complete, Shared, and Stuck. Ideas move left to right, and an improvement is not counted done until it has been shared so other areas can copy it.
Make improvement work visible and reusable, not just done.
What is a Improvement Boards With Future, In Progress, Complete, Shared, and Stuck Columns?
An improvement board is a visual management tool that tracks the status of improvement ideas for a specific area. Instead of a generic to-do list, it uses named stages that reflect how improvement work actually flows.
This version uses five columns: Future (ideas queued up), In Progress (being worked), Complete (finished in this area), Shared (passed to other areas so they can reuse it), and Stuck (blocked and needing help). The Shared column is deliberate. As the team learned from Ryan Tyne, an improvement is not complete until it is shared.
Boards are posted across the building so anyone can walk up and see what each area is doing. Each board is tailored to its area, but the shared column structure keeps them consistent and comparable.
The Stuck column surfaces blockers early instead of letting stalled work sit invisible, so leaders can direct help where it is needed.
Why it works
The board turns private improvement effort into shared, reusable knowledge.
- The Shared column forces proven fixes out of one area and into the rest of the building.
- Standard columns across all boards let anyone read status at a glance and copy what works.
- A Stuck column makes blocked work visible so it gets unblocked instead of abandoned.
- Defining Complete as shared prevents the mistake of hoarding a good solution in one team.
Evidence: The team credits Ryan Tyne with the rule that an improvement is not complete until it is shared.
How to create this idea
- 1Set up a board per area
Place a visible improvement board in each work area across the facility.
- 2Use five status columns
Label columns Future, In Progress, Complete, Shared, and Stuck.
- 3Card each idea
Write every improvement idea on a card and start it in Future.
- 4Move cards as work flows
Advance cards left to right as work starts, finishes, and gets shared.
- 5Redefine Complete
Do not move a card to Complete until it has been shared with other areas that can reuse it.
- 6Work the Stuck column
Review Stuck cards regularly and assign help to clear blockers.
Best used when
- multiple work areas
- continuous improvement culture
- shareable fixes
Less useful when
- single isolated team
- one-off unique problems
- no follow-through capacity
Tags
- Problem
- lost ideashidden blockersno reuse
- Lean methods
- visual managementkaizen boardknowledge sharing
- Application
- improvement trackingshop flooroffice
Captured from TheAMEConnect at Southwest Steel Buildings in the video "AME 2 Second Lean Tour: Southwest Steel Buildings", at 00:14:04. On Lean Toolbox. Watch the original video on YouTube ↗
