The Gemba term comes from Japanese, and it means “the real place” it is an essential part of the lean management philosophy

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The Gemba term comes from Japanese, and it means “the real place” it is an essential part of the lean management philosophy. Its main purpose is to allow leaders to observe the work process, engage with employees, and explore opportunities for process improvement. (Kanbanize, 2021).

There are seven Gemba Walk steps that are needed for effectiveness. 

1. Pick a theme to focus on- This is important because developing a theme will help everyone concentrate on one thing.
2. Prepare the team- Everyone involved should have thorough knowledge of the process and what the goal is. It is crucial that everyone feels comfortable and willing to collaborate.
3. 3. Focus on the process- During this time, the focus is to observe and understand not to evaluate the team’s performance.
4. Follow the value stream- This step is very important because following the value chain gives you to best opportunity to identify areas of waste, by eliminating waste it will improve overall performance.
5. Record observations- Record everything so that you can evaluate and analyze things later.
6. Have an extra set of eyes. It’s a good idea to have someone with a different perspective weigh in.
7. Follow-up

I think one of the biggest obstacles is just staying committed to the process, often we focus on the big things, but small issues can become major and there just as important. Developing a process is going to be key to having a successful Gemba Walk.