4. 4Marek.Piatkowski@Rogers.com
Gemba Walks
Introduction
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Gemba Walk – Description
Gemba (現場) is a Japanese term for “actual place,” often used for the shop floor
or any place where value-creating work actually occurs
Compare to “Management Daily Walk About Process”, which is done on regular
basis, Gemba Walks are conducted at random only to gain a better understanding
of a process or a problem or a situation
The aim of Gemba is to create a thorough understanding of a process and to:
Analyse a situation by observing current conditions
Create insight knowledge into the real situation and possible issues
Develop a good understand of a problem, if there is a problem
Teach/educate people by asking questions
Engage people at continuous improvement effort
Gemba walking is seen as a core element of Lean Transformation, practiced by
management
5. 5Marek.Piatkowski@Rogers.com
Gemba Walks
Introduction
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Chairman of Toyota Motor Corp. and former
President of Toyota Motor Manufacturing, KY
and Toyota Motor Corp.
Toyota’s Chairman
Fujio Cho
Three Keys to Lean Leadership
Go See
“Senior Management must spend time
on the front lines”
Ask Why
“Use the “Why” techinques daily.”
Show Respect
“Respect your people.”
6. 6Marek.Piatkowski@Rogers.com
Gemba Walks
Introduction
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Chairman of Toyota Motor Corp. and former
President of Toyota Motor Manufacturing, KY
and Toyota Motor Corp.
Toyota’s Chairman
Fujio Cho
“Many good companies have respect for
individuals and practice Kaizen and other TPS
tools. But what is important is having all
elements together as a management system.
It must be practiced every day in a very
consistent matter – not is spurs – in a concrete
way on the shop floor.”
7. 7Marek.Piatkowski@Rogers.com
Gemba Walks
Introduction
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Gemba Walk – How to
There are different ways to perform a Gemba Walk, well known examples are:
The Ohno Circle (Taiichi Ohno at Toyota came up with this idea)
Waste Walk (to identify the 7 wastes)
“Put yourself in the shoes” of the Customer and Walk the Value Stream
When performing a Gemba Walk please follow these rules:
Go see, ask why and show respect
Select an area and an interval (daily)
Inform people about your intentions, or by now they should know
Take your time
Watch and talk to people
Be open and judgement free
Share your findings (with the responsible supervisor)
8. 8Marek.Piatkowski@Rogers.com
Gemba Walks
Introduction
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Gemba Walk – How to
Gemba Walks can be difficult to do the first time: either the employees nor the
performing person might feel comfortable. Therefore it is key to inform people up
front about your intentions
Other reasons:
You are observing and that does not feel like adding value
Sometimes you want to “jump in” and solve the problem – common mistake
You are supposed to find improvements in work that might not be your speciality
You (might) not have the authority, you are ‘the teacher’, not ‘the boss’
You see opportunities, but need to teach others ‘to see’, instead of solving problems
or taking action yourself
you think you already have a clear understanding of the situation
9. 9Marek.Piatkowski@Rogers.com
Gemba Walks
Introduction
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Gemba Walk – How to
Follow the Management PDCA cycle
Walk, stop, look, listen, learn and ask yourself these questions:
Do I understand this process?
Do I understand what is going on?
Is there a Standard Process in place?
Is the process being followed?
Is there a problem? Is there a gap? (actual versus standard)
Is this a normal or an abnormal situation
How would I fix this problem?
How would I improve this situation?
And then talk.
If something is not right, do something about it then, DO NOT walk by it without
action
10. 10Marek.Piatkowski@Rogers.com
Gemba Walks
Introduction
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Gemba Walk - Description
Shop floor is constantly changing. One must be on the shop floor to understand the
current condition
Input from people on the shop floor is extremely valuable
Important while doing Gemba walks is to look for:
What is the standard?
What is the gap (actual versus standard)?
What is the countermeasure?
Validate that escalation, as established, is being used. When not take the right
action to correct the situation.
Validate that escalation makes sense and drives the business to respond better,
faster, and remedy the situation effectively, if not correct the situation.
Check and ensure that your escalations are clear on what the person must do when
escalated to, not only who gets called when.
11. 11Marek.Piatkowski@Rogers.com
Gemba Walks
Introduction
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Questions to ask after the Gemba Walk
What have you seen?
What have you learned?
What was the reaction of the operators?
What are you going to do with your observations?
Who needs to see these observations?
How are you going to teach them to see?
When do I need to return – when do I need to do my next Gemba Walk?
12. 12Marek.Piatkowski@Rogers.com
Gemba Walks
Introduction
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Process Audit
Gemba is not about completing Audit Reports. If something is not right, do
something about it, DO NOT walk away without correcting the problem
Because if you do, you just established a new standard – nothing gets done to fix it
Creating a “To Do List” – is
NOT correcting a problem
Listening to explanations
and promises is NOT
correcting a problem
If it is really a problem that
requires some time to fix it
– ask how long it will take
to fix it and start your next
Gemba walk at that area
14. 14Marek.Piatkowski@Rogers.com
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Learning to See - Understanding Waste
Waste cannot be ignored. If we are going to improve our efficiency and lower the
operating costs, we must look at the job cycle closely and look for ways to eliminate
waste to increase our production efficiency.
Waste does affect people
Causes physical fatigue
Causes emotional fatigue
Increases frustrations
Increases stress
Causes you to blame others
Steals your time
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1. Overproduction
Overproduction is producing sooner, faster
or in greater quantities than
Customer’s Demand
Overproduction is the worst kind of Waste
because it causes other types of Wastes and
obscures the need for Improvement.
Unnecessary Transportation
Unnecessary Motion Unnecessary Inventory
Unnecessary Processing
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1. Overproduction
Failure to examine the total cost of a product or service
Misunderstanding of the customer’s true requirements
Pressure to maximize production to justify expensive equipment
Variability in machinery or processes
Poor management / work force relations
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Root Causes of Overproduction
Production plans based on a forecast rather than actual Customer Requirements
Producing “Just-in-Case” – hidden problems:
equipment problems
supplier delivery problems
capacity problems – building ahead
Extra storage space and containers available
Extra manpower
Batch processing – large lot sizes
“Minimum Lot Size” requirements
Lack of communication
Cost accounting practices – “Economical Lot Sizes”
Incorrect reward and bonuses practices
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1. Overproduction – Observations and Questions
How does production know what to make and how much?
Are there boxes and containers outside designated storage area at each process?
On a production line – is one operators producing more parts than the other?
How do the operators know if they are on schedule or not? How do they know
when to stop production?
Are there material staging areas? How many? Why are they there?
Can they be reduced or eliminated?
How does daily demand compare to daily output? How does this compare to
equipment capacity (is there a mismatch between capacity, output and demand)
Is the equipment running at the stated optimal cycle time? Does anyone know
what the correct cycle time is?
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Unnecessary Transportation
Unnecessary Motion Unnecessary Inventory
Unnecessary Processing
2. Unnecessary Transportation
Unnecessary movement of people and
material between processes.
Minimize the transportation steps by
gathering the work content using
continuous flow processing
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Root Causes of Unnecessary Transportation
Poor or lack of standards for Material Handling activities:
Material handling responsibilities not clearly defined
No standard routes
No standard pick-up and delivery instructions
No standard equipment, containers
Lack of visual management
Extra carts, fork lifts, dollies
Improper facility layout - multiple storage locations
Extra material racks and storage space
Complex inventory management – ongoing parts shortages and expediting
22. 22Marek.Piatkowski@Rogers.com
Gemba Walks
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2. Unnecessary Transportation - Observations and Questions
Does material flow smoothly from one end of the plant to the other?
How is material handling performed, are there dedicated routes with dedicated
material handling people?
How do material handling people know when to pick up and deliver boxes and
containers – or they are “looking” for a pick-up?
How do material handling people know where to store material and how much?
Is all material brought from the line used? or does some of it go back into storage?
How heavy is the material being moved, can the movement be done with a less
expensive (lower capacity) lifts or material handling device?
What is a process for removing empty containers and boxes from the line?
Can we minimize the amount of packing material (boxes, containers, pallets)
brought to the production line?
23. 23Marek.Piatkowski@Rogers.com
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Introduction
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Unnecessary Transportation
Unnecessary Motion Unnecessary Inventory
Unnecessary Processing
3. Unnecessary Inventory
Unnecessary inventory is raw materials,
work-in-process inventory and finished
goods in excess of the requirements
necessary to produce goods or service Just-
in-Time.
25. 25Marek.Piatkowski@Rogers.com
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Root Causes of Excess Inventory
Lack of balance in a work flow - inventory build ups between processes
Large batch production
Long changeover times
Failure to follow FIFO
Producing “Just-in-Case” – unreliable equipment, incapable suppliers
Production plans based on inaccurate forecasting rather than actual Customer
requirements
Local optimization of inventory levels – inventory management responsibilities not
well defined
Inventory standards not defined – Plan-for-Every-Part
26. 26Marek.Piatkowski@Rogers.com
Gemba Walks
Introduction
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3. Unnecessary Inventory – Observations and Questions
Are all boxes and containers stored in designated locations?
Is there any material stored in isles, behind machines in “non-standard” locations
Is there a lot of “hidden” material in the form of unorganized storage, is the
material stacked higher than eye levels?
What size batches are raw materials brought in, how many days/months of
inventory is this? How can it be reduced?
Is there any evidence of obsolete materials, where are they stored? How can
obsolescence be reduced? What is the date on the material is it close to expiry?
when will it be used?
At the end of a production run, how much material is left in the holding bins, or is
still staged at the line?
How big are the holding containers, do they match the size of the production
batches?
27. 27Marek.Piatkowski@Rogers.com
Gemba Walks
Introduction
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4. Waiting
Waste of Waiting is any idle time while
waiting for parts, waiting for instructions or
waiting for machine to finish the cycle.
Unnecessary Transportation
Unnecessary Motion Unnecessary Inventory
Unnecessary Processing
29. 29Marek.Piatkowski@Rogers.com
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Root Causes of Waste of Waiting
Long equipment Changeover times
Unplanned equipment downtime
Lack of concerns for equipment breakdown
Inconsistent work methods
Unbalanced operations
Poor flow of information – production plans and requirements
Poor training
30. 30Marek.Piatkowski@Rogers.com
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4. Waste of Waiting – Observations and Questions
Why do operators have to “watch” or wait on equipment? Waiting can often be
avoided - most machines do not have to be supervised
Does the equipment stop automatically if abnormal conditions occur?
What happens during an breakdown, what happens to the operators? Do they have
clear assignments or do they overproduce?
What do operators do during changeover, are they active participants?
Do operators have all the necessary skills, information, material and tools to
perform their job?
Are there work instructions, how much variation in work pace is there between
operators?
How are the jobs organized, who sets them, how do operators know what to do?
Is there a clear process for the operator to call for help in case of problems?
Do operators have plenty of time to socialize? Why?
31. 31Marek.Piatkowski@Rogers.com
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5. Unnecessary Processing
Unnecessary Processing is putting more into
the product or service than is valued by the
Customer – not required (needed) by the
Customer.
The goal is to perform manufacturing activities
or service to match what is useful and
necessary in the eyes of the Customer.
Unnecessary Transportation
Unnecessary Motion Unnecessary Inventory
Unnecessary Processing
33. 33Marek.Piatkowski@Rogers.com
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Root Causes of Unnecessary Processing
Process bottlenecks
Lack of clear customer specifications and requirements
Lack of Customer input
Lack of quality and engineering standards
Redundant approvals
Endless modifications and alternations
Engineering changes without proper process changes
new process added
old process not removed
Decision making at inappropriate levels
34. 34Marek.Piatkowski@Rogers.com
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5. Unnecessary Processing – Observations and Questions
How much of the work being done is value added to the customer?
How much paperwork is being generated? Is it necessary? How can it be reduced?
Are all quality procedures and standards available and understood?
Are operators encouraged to suggest improvements to their work? what happens
to their suggestions?
Are there any manual processes that could be done by a machine, with reasonable
cost?
Is there any duplication of processes?
Is there any extra equipment around that is not in use, why is it there?
Is there a good understanding of the cost of energy and programs in place to
reduce consumption?
35. 35Marek.Piatkowski@Rogers.com
Gemba Walks
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6. Correction
Correction includes unnecessary inspection,
repairs, rework, scrap and any additional
work performed on a products or service
caused by producing a defective product or
service in the first place.
Unnecessary Transportation
Unnecessary Motion Unnecessary Inventory
Unnecessary Processing
37. 37Marek.Piatkowski@Rogers.com
Gemba Walks
Introduction
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Root Causes of Correction
Incapable processes:
Producing poor quality parts
Producing scrap
Excessive process variation
Inadequate tools and equipment
Poor layout
Unnecessary material handling
Incapable suppliers
Insufficient training
Stockpiling inventories
38. 38Marek.Piatkowski@Rogers.com
Gemba Walks
Introduction
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6. Waste of Correction – Observations and Questions
How do operators know when material is out of specification, what is the reaction
or countermeasure?
How complicated are the processes? Are quality standards in place? Is there any
standard work? Is the standard work followed?
What happens to defects and rejected products? Are the defective products
analyzed and root cause problem solving performed and by whom?
Is there a dedicated area for scrap and defects, how many pieces are in this area?
How many hours worth is this? Is it the right amount? Can it be reduced?
What kind of inspection is done on the line, what type of inspection is done off line-
how often? Is it necessary?
Are there examples of bad parts with explanations of why they are bad?
What happens to bad material, who is responsible and how is it handled?
39. 39Marek.Piatkowski@Rogers.com
Gemba Walks
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7. Unnecessary Motion
Unnecessary movement and operation of
people, parts and machines within the
process.
Any motion that does not add value to the
product or service.
Unnecessary Transportation
Unnecessary Motion Unnecessary Inventory
Unnecessary Processing
41. 41Marek.Piatkowski@Rogers.com
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Root Causes of Unnecessary Motion
Poor work station layout – office layout
Looking for tools or material
Looking for equipment to move parts
Excessive reaching and bending
Parts and materials too far apart
“Extra busy” movements while waiting – movement vs motion
Lack of 5S
Lack of Visual Controls
Inconsistent work methods – lack of Standardized Work
Operator training
42. 42Marek.Piatkowski@Rogers.com
Gemba Walks
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7. Unnecessary Motion – Observations and Questions
Is there a lot of movement that is not adding value to the product, do people look
busy, but are not adding value to the product?
Are operators engaged in searching for tools, papers, or materials?
Are tools at the point of use, or are they at one central location?
Are specialized tools at the point of use?
Are a lot of people engaged in walking around?
Is there a lot of pick and place, are operators tied to one machine because of this?
Is the machine layout conducive to minimizing unnecessary motion and running
more than one operation at a time?
44. 44Marek.Piatkowski@Rogers.com
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Visual Management – Questions to ask
Are all aspects of visual management on the shop floor operating as designed?
Are they used to improve performance?
Is continuous flow being maintained through the production process?
Are items requiring updates, updated at the proper time?
Does everything have a place to store? Is everything in it’s place? If not why not?
Do these visuals make sense?
How easy is it for you to grasp the current condition in the area by observing the visuals in
the area? If not what must change? Make sure it changes.
Is all the above OK?
If not, DO NOT walk by, STOP and DO SOMETHING about it.
45. 45Marek.Piatkowski@Rogers.com
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Information Boards – Questions to ask
Are the information boards up-to-date?
Are they update by the people in the area or by a Clerk? Ownership in the performance
results is key.
Are the metrics relevant to the current are performance focus?
Are the units of measure meaningful to the operators in the area
Are the right metrics being tracked? The metrics tracked should reflect the Performance
that needs improvements in the specific area.
Does the performance charts reflect trending information? Performance charts must
always give an indication of trend “are we getting better or are we getting worst”
46. 46Marek.Piatkowski@Rogers.com
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Standardized Work – Questions to ask
Ask for a copy of Standardized Work and explain to the operator what you are doing.
Observe if the operator is doing the work according to the documents in your hand.
If you observe the operator doing the job differently wait for the cycle to finish
If the operator is doing the work according to the Standardized Work thank him/her for
following standard work and ask them if there is anything you can do for them.
If there are concerns that you observed in the area or with the work, make sure you inform
the area supervisor of the issue and ask for resolution.
Remember that the purpose of Standardized Work is to:
Ensure job consistency to allow for better problem solving
Train new and returning operators
Identify WASTE and concerns in the process and help to remove them.
47. 47Marek.Piatkowski@Rogers.com
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Quality - Questions to ask
Is there a dedicated area for scrap, how many pieces are in this area? How many
hours worth is this? Is it the right amount? Can it be reduced?
What happens to scrap products? Are the scrap products analyzed and root cause
problem solving performed and by who? Can you see evidence on the floor? If not
find out from the operators? Is the procedure for handling scrap clear? Is it used?
Is there a Scrap performance tracking process? Is it showing the correct trend? Are
actions in place to improve the trend and reduce scrap?
How do operators know when to handle the rejects? Are they reacting properly?
What happens to bad material, who is responsible and how is it handled?
Are operators concerned about scrap product, what rewards are in place to ensure
they produce good product, and manage rejects correctly?
Are there any boundary samples or on-line inspection equipment, or do operators
make judgment calls? Are there examples of bad parts with explanations of why
they are bad?
48. 48Marek.Piatkowski@Rogers.com
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Daily/Hourly Tracking Boards – Questions to ask
Are the boards updated by all shift?
Can you see the previous shift information?
Is there an hourly target and a shift target based on the current schedule?
Are there clear targets for Change Over durations?
Is the information written in each hourly slot relevant and detailed or is it too
general?
Can you see that the supervisor is reviewing the board regularly?
Are they getting the required response to the problems they are facing?
Is it clear that the information tracked on the boards is being reviewed and reacted
to with appropriate urgency according to the trigger criteria established?
Is the information recorded on the Hourly Tracking Boards captured for later
analysis?
49. 49Marek.Piatkowski@Rogers.com
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Performance Boards – Questions to ask
Are the performance boards up-to-date?
Are they update by the people in the area?
Are the metrics relevant to the current are performance focus?
Are the units of measure meaningful to the operators in the area? (i.e. OEE is
relevant to the plant manager and staff, Uptime or downtime, Change over
durations are more relevant to the operators)
Are the right metrics being tracked?
Does the performance charts reflect trending information?
Do they track current month daily performance (updated by the operators) as well
the previous 12 month performance?
57. 57Marek.Piatkowski@Rogers.com
Gemba Walks
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Changing the World. One Transformation at a time
This presentation is an intellectual property of W3 Group Canada Inc.
No parts of this document can be copied or reproduced
without written permission from:
Marek Piatkowski
W3 Group Canada Inc.
iPhone: 416-235-2631
Cell: 248-207-0416
Marek.Piatkowski@rogers.com
http://twi-network.com
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