GEMBA WALKS
IMPLEMENTING LEAN
Gemba Walks
Gemba literally means “the actual place” in Japanese. In 2-Second Lean, the Gemba refers to the place where the work is done, essentially the factory floor.
A Gemba walk is where leaders and employees go watch processes on the factory floor and observe processes first-hand. This is a great opportunity to watch processes in full and see waste that perhaps the operators themselves cannot see.
Gemba walks enable you to identify improvements in processes and flow. You can work with the operators directly and encourage them to see the problems and come up with ideas.
It is important for the leaders to visit the factory floor and not stay in offices. To truly make an impact and help with continuous improvement, you must see what is happening first-hand, and a leader’s insights and thoughts are priceless.
Example
In the toy factory, the leaders make it part of their daily routine to walk along the factory floor. Whilst they spend a lot of time in the office, they know how important it is to see processes and speak directly with the operators.
Some follow a routine of checking specific places in a specific order, whilst others visit particular areas they would like to see improvement in.
They watch a different set of processes each day and are now working with the operators to make improvements based on the waste they have seen. With both the knowledge of what the operators are doing and the executive ability to make change, they can now make largescale improvements they may not have known about.
