gemba walk for leaders to sustain lean progress and develop people

Is there any backtracking, rework, looping around? Are things where they are actually needed? Do people have tolook around for things?How do they know what they should be doing? What is their source of information? Do they have to hunt it down,or worse, guess at what should be done? Or is the “right thing” and the “right way” chrystal clear to even the casualobserver (that would be you).Is there a pace to the work? Even if it isn’t traditional takt‐time work (especially if it isn’t), there is some kind ofdeadline. How does the person know whether things are on time or not? When do they learn they are behind?If the person encounters some kind of problem, something unexpected, something needed but not there, whathappens? Is there a support system to get this person back on‐process? Or is he or she left to their own devices tojust figure it out?As you watch, keep your standard very high. If something is not obviously as it should be, then question whether it is.“Control” has the burden of proof here, not chaos.When you see these things, focus in on one of them. Ask yourself “Why?” does this condition exist? Where does theproblem originate? Go there. Study some more. How is it that this process fails to support its customer? Do theyhave a clear understanding of what is expected? (Probably not, most don’t, especially administrative processes.)How do they know they delivered (or didn’t) what their customer required? Did they think their output was defectfree (according to their standards), but was really causing problems for their customer?Often it helps to look at one person doing a single task, find a single issue, and follow the trap line upstream untilyou arrive at the origin of the problem. Often, again, you will have a fixable root cause right in front of you.Now the fun begins. As a leader, it is not your job to fix the problem. That is not what you are looking for.When you walk the gemba, you are assessing how well your organization is tuned to seeing these issues, clearingthem, finding their causes, and solving them. If you see these opportunities, then your job now is to teach.Grab whoever it is whose responsibility bounds both the effect and the origin of the problem. Guide him throughthe same things. If this issue was unaddressed, there are a couple of problems this leader must address.First, there is someone downstream likely coping with an issue that he should be raising. (Or worse, there is noprocess for raising the issue, or worse still, no process to respond if he does.) If that isn’t happening, help this leaderunderstand that this is the shortfall here, not the actual issue. It is now his turn to teach, in turn, either the TeamMember, or whatever leader is between him and the Team Member.Second, upstream, there is a process which either does not understand what “defect free” is, or does not have (ordoes not use) a positive way to verify it before sending it along. Same issue. This is a leader training process until theeducation reaches the level that should be doing the checks and the verifications.The best way to learn how to do this is to walk your flow with someone who has the skill. It is simply a skill, and itcan be taught. But learning also requires some humility, and the student must bring that to the “classroom.”So, to recap in two short statements.The gemba walk is a “Check” of Plan‐Do‐Check‐Act.You are checking the health of your leadership systems by looking at how they engage their people andprocesses.Walking the gemba is a process of developing your people.+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++The following further reflections on Gemba Walk are from Mike Mogharei in his blog Lean Tools Spotlights. Notehis suggestions and speak refect the manufacturing Gemba but many of the suggestions directly translate to ourworkplace, e.g. substitute Work‐in‐Process to backlogs of patients, specimens, charts, billing invoices,credentialling packets, etc.An effective “Lean Tool” practiced by many organizations who are pursuing continuous improvement andperformance excellence is the modern practice of “Gemba Walk”, which many confused with the classicalmanagement style of MBWA (Management By Walking Around). The purpose of the MBWA exercise is to show that

you are genuinely interested in employees and their work and are out on the floor listening to suggestions andconcerns, while Gemba Walk is designed to allow leaders to identify existing safety hazards, observe machinery andequipment conditions, ask about the practiced standards, gain knowledge about the work status and buildrelationships with employees.The word “Gemba” is a Japanese term meaning the real place where value is created and the actual work is done, i.e.the shop floor in a manufacturing plant, and the aim of Gemba Walk is to provide a leader with the opportunity toobserve floor activities as they happen and ask questions about them, thus becoming more aware of what is goingon in the organization. As part of the Kaizen philosophy, managers are encouraged to “Go, See, and Observe”(Genchi Genbutsu) the work processes for themselves at Gemba in order to gain a better understanding of theiroperations. Masaaki Imai, a Lean guru, in his book titled “Gemba Kaizen: A Commonsense Low‐cost Approach toManagement,” states “The worst thing a manager can do is live in a world isolated from Gemba.”When doing the Gemba Walk, you should look for answers to the following questions:1. Is the working environment safe and Lean? Is the 5S system in place being sustained?2. Is there a Visual Management System in place? Are the problems visible?3. Are the required information, measures, and metrics displayed and updated? Are there any StandardizedWork Sheets (SWS) posted?4. Could you easily identify the state of progress? Is the work ahead or behind schedule? Is there an efficientlevel of Work‐In‐Process (WIP) and Finished‐Goods (FG) materials available?5. How are the products and processes developed? What fulfillment systems are in place from order todelivery?6. Is the machinery and equipment running and in good condition? Do you see any leakage or damage? Do youhear any abnormal noise?Gemba Walk will also provide the opportunity to build stronger relationships with team members through engagingthem in conversation about the work processes and praising them for jobs well done. This will create a better senseof ownership in team members, due to their being asked about their understanding of the work standards and howthose could be improved upon and made more efficient.As can be seen, Gemba Walk is an important Lean tool that should be used routinely to help you become aware ofany existing abnormalities, immediately deal with hazardous and unsafe conditions, verify established standardizedprocesses, solve problems or correct errors and create a more efficient and effective working environment andworkforce.+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Lastly, let me share the following from the consultant ProductivityInc from their blog The LEANing Post.Five Things to Consider on a Gemba WalkThe Gemba Walk is all about getting out into the workplace. It affords company leaders, managers and supervisorsa reliable, simple and easy means of supporting an improvement structure and encouraging processstandardization. The Gemba Walk is a key component in the sustainment of improvement.How do you start a Gemba Walk in your plant? It may seem overwhelming but it doesn’t need to be. Don’t walkinto the workplace looking for everything. If you do, you will accomplish nothing while causing confusion. Thissimple list is a good place to start. Use this list to build your own Gemba Walk theme.1. General HousekeepingWorkplace clutterPoor lightingUnsafe conditionsAdequate waste removalClearly marked exits, aisles, walkways, all point‐of‐use areas

2. High concentrations of WIP (work in process)Up‐stream and down‐streamAt point‐of‐useDamaged productNon‐standard containersOld inventory tags3. Display of information and measuresBulletin boards with up‐to‐date informationWorkplace activity boards are up‐to‐date4. Equipment AppearanceVisible maintenance records are currentLeaks of air, oil, fluid, lubricationMain body cleanGuarding in position5. In‐plant Office SpaceWell organizedFree of clutterI think you get the idea. Lean is a manufacturing translation that you must do for your own work environment.Remember your role in Lean as leader/manager is to understand the reliability and consistency of your workproduct or service and know that variability or lack of control and how to right that condition.The Gemba Walk is where the answers to your mission lie. So get out there, question, understand, help others tosee, facilitate others to develop solutions to their own problems.A Lean management system fosters a visual workplace. If there is nothing noted on the whiteboards and there areno current metrics posted and no A3 storyboards of problem solving in work teams, you have a lot of work to doto get the Lean culture back on track here in the Henry Ford Production System.This is the Gemba Walk. Have a good walk! Your company and those we serve in HFHS will thank you for itsomeday.…………………………………………………………………………………………………..ReferencesFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GembaWalking the Gemba by Mark Rosenthal, Posted January 28th, 2009 in The Lean Thinker. Thoughts and insights fromthe shop floor. http://theleanthinker.com/2009/01/28/walking‐the‐gemba/Gemba Walk by Mike Mogharei, Posted March 20, 2012 inLEAN TOOLS SPOTLIGHTS: HTTP://WWW.GETKAIZENED.COM/BLOG/LEAN‐TOOLS‐SPOTLIGHTS‐GEMBA‐WALK‐4/Five Things to Consider on a Gemba Walk by Productivity Inc, Posted December 3, 2010 in The LEANing Post,http://productivityinc.wordpress.com/2010/12/03/five‐things‐to‐consider‐on‐a‐gemba‐walk/You may read the archived Wednesday's Words of Quality 2009‐2012, atInternet: http://www.henryford.com/body.cfm?id=53405Intranet: http://henry.hfhs.org/body.cfm?id=10278