Gemba Walk

Written By

Guntapudi Udayravichandra

Gemba walk can be defined as “A Regular or Scheduled walkthrough through the factory, which focuses on Elimination of Non value added activities (NVAs) in producing a product”

Lean methodologies are growing very aggressively in all facilities and brands. Almost all products and services require Lean execution. To make things simple and effective.

Today we are going to look into one of the key tool in lean i.e, “Gemba Walk”.

Gemba walk is key for every factories, where we can get more ideas from all key stakeholders or management or customers for enhancement of Efficiency. New tools, Poke yoke’s, Jigs, Safety, and other improvements which can be done for the improvement of the product.

Getting ideas and implementing ideas are other side of the coin.

You will also get Gemba walk forms in downloadable excel formats.

Let’s get started…

First an Factory management should know the below. We will be discussing following points in this article.

• What is Gemba and Gemba Walk?
• Where to conduct Gemba walk?
• What are the requirements of Gemba Walk?
• Participants
• What to focus?
• Expected outcomes of the Gemba walk.
• How to follow up until Idea/Kaizen is implemented.
• Follow up audit.
• Gemba Walk Actual Outcomes share to Stake holders and Management.
• Repeat the same.

What is Gemba and Gemba Walk?

Gemba is a Japanese word which is known as “The Real Place”.  Which can also tell that where the actual work is going to complete product or service.

Gemba Walk is mostly designed to take Management or Customers or Stake holders to real place. To find problems in production and to get solutions for each problems.

So Gemba walk helps to go through bottom lines of the each Line or Production to find route causes and solutions (Kaizens) for each and every point.

Which majorly works on low cost and high income.

It should be frequent and Scheduled Walkthrough.

Taichi Ohno, an executive in Toyota started this Gemba walk, to find the NVA, wasteful activities that can be eliminated from the production flow.

Gemba walk definition: The Gemba walk can be defined as “A Regular or Scheduled walkthrough through the factory, which focuses on Elimination of Non value added activities (NVAs) in producing a product”

Need to have clear Schedule for Gemba walkthrough for year to let everyone know. Need to Circulate to everyone. Gemba Walk excel is attached to this Article.

Download Gemba Walk Schedule in excel :-

Picture 2: Sample Schedule for Gemba Walkthrough

Key Note: To conduct Gemba Walk by Factory management, it requires experience in previous walkthroughs as a participant. To learn more about Gemba for getting lean thinking or lean mindset. Many Japanese or Chinese factories hire outsourcing teachers or Sensei’s for 1year to 2years.

This 2years every month 1week team should be with Sensei in Floor. Need to observe how they are finding bottlenecks in production and what are the ideas they are providing for improvements. So these type of exposure can conduct walkthroughs in a proper way.

Where to conduct Gemba walk?

Gemba walk can be conducted in any place. Since it is involved in with all Management, Customers, and related stakeholders for this walkthrough.

We need to consider some Considerations while initiating Gemba walkthroughs. Please find the below top points to conduct Gemba walkthroughs:

New Product Launch: Every facility tends to have a new product to be produced every 3months of time. Every product cannot be standardized at the time of Development.

There should be many improvements that can make the product more efficient. When a product is newly launched in production. After Changeover minimum before 3 days of time, need to have Gemba Walkthrough.

Here we can get more ideas from participants, on enhancement in Process, Reduction in Cycle time and increase of Efficiency of the product.

Least Performing Production Line: Now most of the factories KPI is depending on Productivity, Efficiency, RFT and Defects.

A line can be selected based on the key KPI’s of previous 3months data. This type of scenario needs to select based on if any line with same resources with Same Manpower, Same Machinery, Same tools and Same standards.

But not meeting any KPI’s this type of line should be selected for the Gemba Walk.

Note: For the above 2 walk’s we can consider as ERC (Eliminate, Reduce and Combine).

Automation Walkthroughs: Some factories utilization of Automations such as Auto cutting, Automatic Guided Vehicles, Robots and all autonomous machines will be deployed in factory.

But the effectiveness of machines cannot be improved due to lack of knowledge, leadership, and skills. 

Such cases Automation walkthrough with experts can make things better. In this type of walkthroughs need to focus on SMED, OEE, Productivity and Leadership.

Others: Also can focus walkthroughs on other than production such as 5S, Social Compliance, Kaizen Walkthrough etc. The walkthrough’s can be planned based on the major bottlenecks in the factory.

Requirements of Gemba Walkthrough

Data: Most of the production walkthrough based on the Data driven, When any walkthrough is planned. Need to have at least 1 months or 2 weeks data. On which we are focusing.

For instance, A line is not meeting RFT from past 1month. Then need to have below data.

1. Process that produces high defects.
2. Machinery that gets higher defects.
3. Manpower produces higher defects

Need to have such type of data’s while conducting Gemba Walk.

Standard Sheets: To review the exact situation need to arrange Standard sheets of the product. i.e. IE Sheets, Line Balancing sheets, Process layouts etc. while going into walkthrough.

KAIZEN/ IDEA FORM: For all the participants, IE or CI team should provide Kaizen form at the time of Walkthrough kickoff.

Please see attached Kaizen Form excel 1.

GEMBA WALK FOCUS AND FOLLOW UP CHART: Attached Excel FYR.

Gemba Walk Excel: To collect all the improvement ideas, Management team should have allotted one employee for the follow-up. Gemba Walk Excel is attached below of Gemba Walk excel 3.

Bottle Neck Process Details: Most of the Gemba Walkthrough’s will be focusing on Bottle neck process. If any process/machine time is excess takt time, then that process is known as Bottle neck process.

For that process or machine need to highlight with Bottle neck process before Gemba walkthrough. It may be 2 or 3 processes. Need to place a Kanban of Bottle neck process on Process before Walk.

Bottle Neck Process: Not only based on Cycle time it also can be considered on CTP(Critical to Process) or CTQ.

If any others required based on the product, then we should take based on the requirements. It totally depending on requirement of Customer and Management.

Participants

The Gemba Walk Team should be Standardized and based on the department which we are going to focus need to invite concern team members for this Gemba Walkthrough.

1. Production:

1. Production GM.
2. Production Manager
3. Production Plant In charge
4. Line Supervisor

2. Quality:

1. Quality Manager
2. Quality Plant Head
3. Inline Quality

3. Maintenance:

1. Maintenance Manager
2. Maintenance Plant or Department Head.

4. Development

1. Development Manager
2. Concern Department Dev.Manager

5. IE Team

1. IE Manager
2.  IE Plant Head

Customers: Based on the available of Customers we can also include Customer in this walkthrough. To make sure they also knew about Gemba Walk. This will help in getting points from Customer in factory evaluation.

Technical persons: Computerized machine technician or Tools Design Technician.

So, these are the key Participants in Gemba Walk. It may vary based on the requirements of the Walkthrough. Below is the excel for the Participants sign off form.

Picture 4: Attendance Sheet for Gemba Walk

What to Focus?

Gemba Walkthrough is one of the tools to find the problems and areas which can be improved in Production. Gemba should focus on Process not on People.

The main Focus should be on the deviation of  Process vs Standard. Based on Deviation team should be focus on Specific process.

As Gemba Walkthrough is to focus on the below.

• Critical to Process
• Critical to Quality
• Bottle neck process
• Elimination: Wastages/Process which are non-Value added
• Reduce: Reduction of Cycle time/ Manpower. (Implement new Jigs, Poke yoke tools)
• Combine: Combine of Process, Machines and Manpower based on the Cycle time.
• Questions: Need to question line supervisor or operators for bottleneck process. 5 why’s tool should be used in Focus.

Expected outcomes of the Gemba walk

Once we plan Gemba Walk, the concern Gemba Walk team should have clear knowledge on what should be expected outcomes of Gemba Walk. The expected Outcomes are based on the below.

• Improvement ideas on CTP Process
• Improvement ideas on CTQ Process
• Ideas on Smart tools/jigs for Bottle neck process
• Reduction in Cycle Time

How to follow up until Idea/Kaizen is implemented

Gemba Walk team should list out all the improvements ideas which are received from the Gemba walk and at the end of the Gemba Walk need to have closing meeting with all the Participants.

Since every stakeholder will be available at this Walk. Need to get ETA from each point based on the concerned department.

Gantt Chart: Based on the ETA’s provided by all the Stakeholders need to have Gantt chart for clear monitoring. Need to send Gantt chart to management after the next day of Gemba Walk.

Follow Up Meeting: Based on the ETA’s Completion Date need to have a meeting with related stakeholders for quick meeting. Based on the status of each need to update to management. If any delays in process need to get 2^nd ETA date for the process. If everything is completed, need to implement all the tools/jigs/improvements in line.

Train employees/supervisors on improvements and implement. Observe and note all the improvements. With before after pictures and improvement KPI’s. Share the improvement to Management, Stake holders and Customers on the improvements. Need to highlight if any not done and what are the major bottlenecks.

Follow up Audit:

After Implementing the Kaizens in line, IE/CI should regularly monitor for 1week that the employees are following the improvements and note the observations.

1^st Step: If any difficulty in implemented tools need to inform concern team for improvement.

2^nd Step: If all are working need to take improvements after 1week where employees will be sustained with the improvement process. Need to Standardize the timings, Quality standards and reduced ergonomic positions.

Gemba Walk Actual Outcomes share to Stake holders and Management

Based on the one-week observation in production. Team should summarize the improvements which are made in Gemba Walk and need to share mail to all stakeholders, Management and Customers.

Need to have a clear data sheet for this Gemba Walk. What I suggest is Need to have Single excel for all the Gemba Walks, so that it is easy to check and filter for future reference.

Repeat the Same

One who Organize the Gemba walkthrough for the 1^st time would feel discomfort managing many stakeholders and Production team. If we schedule Gemba Walkthroughs Monthly at least twice to make factory a efficient and team would get more knowledge on Walkthrough.

After Conducting next Walkthrough one should recognize previous walkthrough idea generators by a small gift before starting the Walk. Then follow the same process from Step 1 to Step 9. To make better, Walkthroughs in Production.

This Gemba Walk are very informative, Knowledge sharing and everyone get more knowledge on product.

These type of walkthroughs will improve analyzing skills, how to implement 5whys and to get knowledge on Smart tools.

I hope everyone got an clear idea on Gemba Walk. Please comment on for your quires if any.

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Guntapudi Udayravichandra @guntapudi

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