A gemba walk is the term used to describe a walk where employees go to observe work at the gemba, which is where the work is done.  The idea is to go and see for yourself at the actual or "real place" of work.  During a gemba walk participants should:

1. Go and See (observe for themselves the place of work).
2. Engage, with the purpose of understanding more about where value is being created and issues or opportunities that might be present.
3. Muda, Muri and Mura - Discover forms of waste.  The gemba walk however is not the time to solve or make drastic changes.  
4. Be respectful of the people at the gemba.  Look for opportunities to hear their thoughts and reflect on ideas with them.
5. Analyze, Assess and Action!

  The Gemba is the actual place where transformation and value creation happen.  The concept of the Gemba is applicable to any and all industries.  Simply stated the Gemba is where the work is performed.  Some examples of the Gemba are:  

1. An accountants Gemba would be at the computer.
2.  A machinists Gemba would be at the machine.
3.  A farmers Gemba would be on the farm.
4.  An athletes Gemba would be on a playing field.
5.  A surgeons Gemba in the surgery room.  

​  To learn more about the Gemba enroll in our ©GEMBA Methodology Course today.

**Share with us where your Gemba is in the comments section below**

    One of the best ways to understand what is going on is to go to the Gemba and see for yourself. This is the central idea behind the term Genchi Genbutsu,  which is a core principle in both Lean and Six Sigma.

Genchi Genbutsu (English: Go and see for yourself): The best practice is to go and see the location or process where the problem exists in order to solve that  problem more quickly and efficiently. To grasp problems, confirm the facts and analyse root causes.

​Reference - Toyota Blog

  Both Lean and Six Sigma require a sound understanding of issues and opportunities before moving forward.  Whether management, leadership or shop floor Genchi Genbutsu supports correctly understanding a problem in its entirety before coming up with countermeasures.  The nature of the phrase is less about the physical act of visiting a site but more to do with a personal understanding of the full implications of any action within an environment as a whole.

  The goal statement identifies goals, objectives or targets that the team is trying to achieve once the project is completed.  

Example:
  The Goal is to reduce the cash to cash cycle time by 50% resulting in a reduced, cash to cash cycle of 15 days.


Sample Format:
  The Goal is to (improve or reduce) the (problem) by (metric,category) resulting in a (improved or reduced)(category) of (metric).

  A Gantt Chart is one of the most common tools used in project management.  The Gantt Chart documents a schedule of activities for a team or individual to execute to.  The left side of the chart typically documents the activities while the bars you see in the middle show a start date and the amount of time each activity will take.  Gantt Charts made in excel are suitable for small to mid size projects, however large scale project plans typically use other forms of software such as microsoft project.