Andon / Visual Workplace Board

What it is and when to use it

In most shops, a problem on the floor stays a private frustration until it becomes a crisis — the person who spotted it has no fast way to raise it, so it waits. An andon system gives anyone the ability to signal an abnormal condition the moment it happens — a light, a card, a button — and makes that signal visible to the whole area, not just to whoever happens to walk by. The board only works as long as every signal gets a response logged against it; an andon light nobody answers stops being a tool and becomes decoration.

What goes on the sheet

1. Trigger types: what conditions call for a signal (quality defect, safety concern, material shortage, equipment issue)
2. Signal method: visual/audible mechanism used (light, card, button, cord) and its location
3. Response protocol: who responds, in what time window, and what they're authorized to decide on the spot
4. Escalation path: what happens if the first responder can't resolve it within the time window
5. Log: date/time raised, cause, who responded, time to resolution
6. Recurrence flag: same cause triggering repeatedly, marked for a real fix instead of another quick response
7. Review cadence: how often the log gets reviewed for patterns, and by whom

In a business like yours

• Candle or soap workshop: a light at each station, so a jam gets help in minutes, not at the end of the day.
• Restaurant kitchen: a simple signal when the line falls behind, before tickets pile up.
• Warehouse: a board that shows which dock is blocked right now.

Illustrative examples, not client cases.