As industry expert Ease.io explains, a Gemba walk is a tool to improve your company’s ability to find and fix problems by observing your company’s work processes and challenges at a place where the work happens—the actual work floor.
In this article, we’ll introduce the basics of a Gemba walk, explain the different types of walks, and provide examples to help you figure out what type of walk you need for your company.
You’ll also see several practical tips for conducting a Gemba walk, including how to prepare for your walk, what to look for, and how to document your observations.
3 Common Types of Gemba Walks
While there are many different types of Gemba walks, there are five basic types that you should know. The different walks vary by the goal to be achieved, the question or problem you’re trying to solve, and the solution tools you’ll use at your company.
- Personal Gemba
The personal Gemba is whereby the leader heads onto more than one of their responsibility areas. They can choose to go with a particular topic, issue, audit, or anything. It is as simple as go and see. When you go on a personal Gemba walk, you’re essentially walking around your work area with a pen and paper.
You’ll start by spending some time observing your surroundings and taking notes about what you see. Then, you’ll start talking to people who are working nearby, both co-workers and clients; and asking them questions about their work process.
By doing this, you’ll be able to better understand the tasks that they’re performing and how they’re implementing them. This will help you build a better understanding of the overall project, which will, in turn, lead to better communication and collaboration between all stakeholders.
- Leadership Gemba
A leadership Gemba walk is a valuable tool for managers and leaders to understand their current and future surroundings better. It helps them to identify problems and potential solutions, as well as to assess the strengths and weaknesses of their team.
The approach typically takes place in a specific location (such as the office or the factory), usually lasting around two hours.
During the walk, participants will explore different areas of the Gemba (the Japanese word for “workplace”), asking questions about how things are going, what needs to be improved, and how people are working together.
- Impromptu Gemba
An impromptu Gemba walk is a great way to get a quick update on your company’s current status and see how things are going in the field. It can also be used to celebrate small victories or address any problems.
To conduct an impromptu Gemba walk, simply gather all team members involved in the walk and arrange them in a circle. Once everyone is situated, have them take turns speaking about what they’re working on and what their plans are for the future.
This will give you an overview of everything happening in the company at this very moment, and it will help you make better decisions based on real-world data.
3 Tips for Conducting Gemba Walk
Conducting a Gemba walk gives you a perfect chance to understand your business. By walking around and observing the actual work being done, you’ll be able to see problems and potential solutions that you would never have seen if you had only looked at data or statistics. Here are three tips.
- Prepare Well
Make sure you have all the materials you need before you start your walk. This includes a map of your workplace and a list of all the people participating in the walk. You’ll also need to bring pens and paper to take notes during the walk.
- Get Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable
One of the great things about conducting a Gemba walk is that it can often force people into uncomfortable positions. This is good news because it means that they’re learning something and growing as professionals! Be prepared for anything; don’t be afraid to push people out of their comfort zones to get the most out of your visit.
- Document Your Observations Well
You must take detailed notes while you’re on your Gemba walk so that you have a clear understanding of what’s happening. If you can’t understand what’s happening, making any changes or improvements will be difficult.
Elements of a Gemba Walk: Final Thoughts
A Gemba walk is a great way to understand your business firsthand. It allows you to explore the actual places where your products or services are being produced and the people who use them. Though it can be difficult initially, you must take all the necessary precautions to avoid injuries.
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