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The Vis-IT research project: bridging the gap between complex IT systems and lean tools for product development and project management.

About the Vis-IT Project

Vis-IT is an industry-driven research project that evaluates and develops better solutions for information-management challenges in product development and project management. The goal is to evaluate and configure tools for lean production and product development.

The project addresses a persistent gap: today's enterprise IT applications are often too complex and difficult to use, while lean tools demand simplicity and visual clarity. Vis-IT works to bridge that divide through prototype development of digital pulse boards and related visual-management solutions.

Participating Partners

The Vis-IT project brings together a consortium of Swedish industrial partners and academic researchers:

  • AB Volvo
  • Autoliv
  • Toyota Material Handling
  • Chalmers University of Technology
  • Repos AB
  • Dentsply

The project is financed by Vinnova through the FFI program, with Volvo coordinating the overall effort.

Research Focus

The core mission is to prototype and evaluate digital visual-planning tools — often referred to as digital pulse boards — that make project status, workflows, and knowledge flows visible at a glance. By combining lean principles with modern IT, the project aims to reduce the friction teams experience when moving between physical whiteboards and complex enterprise software.

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From Research to Practice

A digital pulse board was installed at Dentsply in November 2012 as part of the project's real-world testing. The Vis-IT Master Thesis was nominated to Lilla Polhemspriset, recognizing its contribution to the field. An extensive report on the use of digital visual planning in multinational companies was published in September 2015, marking the project's conclusion.

The work continues through the Digilean project, which aims to create a digitized process demonstrator that connects procedures for knowledge flow and traceability — supporting global enterprises in adopting digitized lean methodology.