Gemba Walk
Leaders go to the place where the work actually happens (the gemba) to see the current situation for themselves before deciding anything. They observe, ask what is happening before asking why, and look at purpose, process and people together. The walk ends with a short debrief and follow-up agreed with the people who do the work.
Use when decisions about a process are being made from reports and meeting rooms, far from where the work is done.
Solves: Managers fix problems they have only read about, and the fixes make the work harder for the people doing it.
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Step 1: Agree the purpose of the walk and which process to follow (10 min, before).
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Step 2: Go to where the work happens and observe without stepping in (20-30 min).
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Step 3: Ask 'what' questions first: what are you doing, what happens next, what happens when this goes wrong (15 min).
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Step 4: Only then ask why, to understand problems and causes. Note waste and obstacles (10 min).
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Step 5: Thank the people you observed and tell them what happens next (5 min).
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Step 6: Debrief straight away and agree follow-ups with the people doing the work (15-20 min).
- Go to see, not to be seen. A walk-through for show teaches nothing.
- Ask what before why. Early whys sound like blame.
- Diagnose and act as close to the work as possible, together with the people who do it.
- Value stream walk: follow one product or request end to end across departments.