Digital shopfloor management and the digital Obeya
Digital shopfloor management puts numbers from the shop floor, problems and actions on screens, so they are discussed every day at the place of work. A digital Obeya does the same for a whole project or programme across departments. Below you see what they have in common and how to get from one board to the other wall.
What is digital shopfloor management?
Shopfloor management means steering at the place where the work happens: numbers, problems and actions visible on a board, and short, fixed moments in front of it. Digital means that board is a screen with live numbers instead of a printed sheet. It is a form of visual management: what you see, you do not have to ask.
What an Obeya adds
A board on the shop floor looks at one department or line. An Obeya looks at the whole: goals and KPIs, plan and milestones, problems and actions, decisions and risks of all departments in one place. The Obeya comes from industry; Toyota used it in the 1990s on the first Prius. Read Obeya in manufacturing.
What digital adds
- Live numbers. The tiles take their numbers from CoVince, from a CSV or from a connected source, or you type them in. The wall is always today's.
- From deviation to action. Tapping a chart shows the action that goes with it, with owner and date.
- Remote people. Anyone at another site or on another shift sees the same wall and joins the conversation through video calling.
- One, three or nine screens. The same board fits one screen in the hall or a wall of screens. See control room software.
When is this not enough?
Be realistic. A Control Room in the browser is no replacement for specialised systems that process millions of measurements per second or run on a safety certification. It is there for the steering conversation: numbers, plan, problems, actions and the people who talk about them. Which sources you can use, we show in the demo.
How to start
- Pick a line or department and write down what you want to follow.
- Let 'Make with AI' make a proposal and build it once you are happy.
- Hang the board on a screen on the shop floor and run a fifteen-minute stand-up.
- Grow into an Obeya across departments once the rhythm is there.
More examples are in KPI wall examples.
Frequently asked questions
What is digital shopfloor management?
Steering at the place of work with numbers, problems and actions on a screen with live numbers, discussed in short, fixed moments.
Is an Obeya the same as shopfloor management?
They look alike. Shopfloor management usually looks at one department or line; an Obeya brings goals, numbers, plan, problems and actions of a whole project or programme together.
Where do the numbers come from?
From CoVince itself, from a CSV, from connected sources, or you type them in. Which sources fit you, we show in the demo.
Do I need special screens?
No. The Control Room works in the browser, on a laptop, a large screen or on three or nine screens.