The first pillar of a production approach is visibility. Visibility isn't simply "getting a production report"; it's about the right person having access to detailed information at the right time to make informed decisions . The same data should be presented in completely different ways to the line operator and the general manager.
5.1 Production panel management and scorecards
The dashboards show real-time status, while the scorecards show periodic performance. The two are not interchangeable.
To who
Which screen?
What does it show?
Which decision does he support?
Operator
Line/workbench panel
Shift target, actual, current speed, remaining time, quality alert.
Should I speed up now, is any adjustment necessary?
Shift supervisor
Shift panel
Work order statuses, shutdowns, critical material shortages, personnel distribution.
Which matter should I intervene in?
Production manager
Facility panel
Plan compliance, equipment efficiency, bottleneck load, waste tendency
How do I shift the capacity?
Planner
Plan panel
Delayed orders, jobs waiting for materials, capacity overruns, order risk.
How should I recreate the schedule?
Quality
Quality panel
Out-of-specification results, causes of spoilage, rework, quarantine.
Where is intervention needed?
Financial affairs
Cost panel
Variations, unit cost trend, open work order cost
Which product is more expensive than expected?
Senior management
Scorecard
Periodical performance according to target, inter-facility comparison, trend.
Where should I invest?
Principles of panel design
It needs to be real-time: A dashboard updated overnight through batch processing doesn't generate decisions in the field; it only recounts the past.
It must be actionable: behind every indicator there should be an answer to the question "so what should I do now?".
It should be possible to drill down into detail: from a summary number, down to the work order that generated that number, and even down to a single notification.
It needs to be given back to the field: The operator entering the data should be able to see their own performance. One-way data collection creates resistance over time.
Few indicators: A panel with fifteen indicators means no indicators are being monitored.
5.2 Product cost visibility
The most valuable but weakest link in visibility is cost. In most businesses, product cost is calculated by accounting at the end of the period, and all pricing, bidding, and product decisions up until then are based on estimates.
Real-time cost visibility enables the following:
Viewing the accumulated costs of an open work order up to that point.
Immediate detection of deviations between actual consumption and prescription.
The impact of changes in raw material prices on product costs can be calculated instantly.
During the bidding process, it is possible to review the actual cost history of similar products.
The cost of waste and rework should be seen as a cost, not as a quantity cost.
Detailed cost modeling and accounting topics are covered in Chapters 24 and 25; the emphasis here is that cost should be a continuous visible element, not just an end-of-period output .
A specific problem in the Turkish context.
In an environment of high inflation and currency volatility, determining today's price based on past costs directly generates losses. A standard cost calculated using raw material costs from three months ago is seriously misleading in today's offer.
In this environment, cost accuracy is not just an accounting issue, it's a matter of business survival . The system's ability to perform real-time cost simulations with current prices is a critical capability.