Gemba Walk

© Operational Excellence Consulting. All rights reserved.
Gemba Walk
Observe, Engage, Improve

© Operational Excellence Consulting. All rights reserved. 2
Contents
1. Introduction to Gemba Walk
2. The 3 MUs: Muda, Mura & Muri
3. Kaizen Eyes: Ability to See Opportunities for
Improvement
4. Taking the Gemba Walk: Tips for Observing
NOTE: As this is a PREVIEW, only selected slides are
shown. To download the complete presentation, please
visit: http://www.oeconsulting.com.sg

Introduction to
Gemba Walk
1

What Is Gemba?
• The term Gemba means “the real place”
• A Gemba is literally any direct location where the action
is taking place
• Within the Lean culture it refers to the location where
value is created and ultimately improved

“Farming looks
mighty easy when
your plow is a
pencil and you’re
1,000 miles away
from a corn field.”
Dwight Eisenhower

What Gemba Is NOT
• Walking around without a purpose
• An opportunity to find fault in others
• A time for solving problems and making changes
• By-passing middle management
• Participating or observing a daily or tier management
meeting
• One place that is not “Gemba” is a manager’s desk

Why Gemba?
Value flows
horizontally
across
organizations
to customers
Organizations are vertical and complex;
Managers look up toward the top (the CEO)
for direction
A gemba walk helps managers see and
reconcile the horizontal with the vertical
Customers

Why the Gemba Walk?
• See what is happening
• Instill discipline (e.g. standard work practices)
• A chance to talk with employees, to hear what problems
are not getting solved
• A chance to emphasize quality and safety
• Connect team goals with the organization’s strategy

“When you are out
observing on the Gemba,
do something to help
them. If you do, people will
come to expect that you
can help them and will
look forward to seeing you
again on the Gemba.”
Taiichi Ohno

Three Keys to Lean Leadership
• Go See
 “Senior Management must spend
time on the plant floor.”
• Ask Why
 “Use the “Why?” technique daily.”
• Show Respect
 “Respect your people.”
Fujio Cho
Chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation

Objective of Gemba Walk
• The objective of a Gemba walk is not to draw a map, or
to solve a specific problem, or to Plan or Do or Check or
Act
• It is to grasp the situation by involving everyone touching
the process to understand purpose, process, and people
• Once the situation is understood, improvement is
possible and more likely to succeed

Your Approach is Key
• Show respect
• Your direct interaction with the
employee(s) is important to the
Gemba
• Make sure they feel respected to
get the most out of your Gemba
• Great opportunity to strengthen
your Lean culture

Going to the Gemba: 4 Steps to Gemba
Success
1.
Know Your
Purpose
2.
Know Your
Gemba
3.
Observe
the
Framework
4.
Validate

1. Know Your Purpose
Know before you go
• Why am I going to observe?
• What am I trying to learn?
You should never go to a
Gemba without knowing
these answers first!

3. Observe the Framework
Observe the environment and the 5M’s (man, machines,
materials, etc.) along the value stream
Man
Measurements
Methods
Machines
Materials
Operational + Materials Standards
NVA = Muda + Mura + Muri
5S = Housekeeping Discipline
Quality
Delivery
Cost
S
DC
A
P
DC
A
Input Process Output
Source: Gemba Kaizen by Massaki Imai

Go to the Gemba – DON’Ts
• Don’t come preoccupied
• Don’t come having already
decided
• Don’t come to lecture
• Don’t come to get it off the list
• Don’t come holding your nose
• Don’t come as a wolf

The 3 MUs:
Muda, Mura & Muri
2

“We must always
keep in mind that
the greatest waste is
the waste we don’t
see.”
Shigeo Shingo
(a Japanese industrial engineer and
expert on the Toyota Production System)

Explanation of the 3 MUs
The
Three
MUs
Meaning in
English
Explanation
(using example of Capacity versus Load)
Muda • Waste
• Capacity exceeds
Load
Mura
• Unevenness
• Inconsistency
• Variation
• Capacity sometimes
exceeds the Load
• Load sometimes
exceeds the Capacity
Muri
• Overburden
• Irrationality
• Load exceeds
Capacity

Approach for the 3 MU’s
• By focusing improvement activities on eliminating the
non-value-added activities throughout the production
process, and on establishing production flow, balance is
naturally achieved between capacity and load.
Capacity
= Load
Capacity
> Load
Capacity
< Load

Eight Types of Muda (Waste)
Over-production
Producing more than what
the customer needs
Inventory
Building and storing extra
services/products the
customer has not ordered
Transportation
Moving product from
one place to another
Rework
Reprocessing, or
correcting work
Over-processing
Adding excess value
when the customer
does not require it
Motion
Extra physical/mental
motion that doesn’t add
value
Intellect
Not using employees full
intellectual contribution
Waiting
Employees waiting for
another process or a
machine/tool
Waste

How Seeing The 3 MUs Helps Our
“Kaizen Eyes”
• Improves pattern recognition of issues
• Provides lens to observe processes through
• Gives routine for practicing our skills of observation
• Fosters a language to communicate opportunities
• Develops a holistic way to think about processes
• Prevents trade-offs between the ill-effects of the 3 M’s

Kaizen Eyes:
Ability to See Opportunities
for Improvement
3

Observing takes…
• Time
• Effort
• Patience
• Practice
• Humility

Taking the Gemba
Walk:
Tips for Observing
4

Tips for Observing
• Gain understanding of the process
• Test positions and locations for observing
• Record observations and questions
• Do not assume, ask
• Do not be in a rush – Grow roots

What is the Value Created?
Look for:
• What the Customer Pays for
• Activities done Correctly
• The Expected Output

What is Normal/Abnormal?
Look for:
• Standard Processes
• Expected State
• Variation to Expected State

To download this presentation,
please visit us at:
www.oeconsulting.com.sg
END OF PREVIEW

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