Dashpivot Article – Purpose of Gemba Walk

Purpose of Gemba Walk

Definition of Gemba Walk

A Gemba Walk involves leaders going directly to where the work happens to observe and interact with frontline employees. This simple yet powerful approach helps managers gather insights, understand processes, and identify opportunities for improvement.

Essentially, the purpose of a Gemba Walk is to observe, listen, and learn. By being on the floor with their teams, leaders can see firsthand what is and isn’t working, how employees tackle problems, and where improvements can be made.

Gemba Walks are structured around specific goals—whether it’s improving customer service, ensuring safety, or increasing productivity. They aim to pinpoint issues, reduce waste, and foster a deeper engagement with the employees who deliver value.

In this article, we explore the purpose of Gemba Walk in construction and other built world sectors, discuss the benefits of Gemba Walk, and how to effectively do a Gemba Walk in your workplace.

Purpose of Gemba Walk in the Construction and Built World Industries

A Gemba Walk takes managers directly to where the work is happening—whether that's a construction site, an office or any active work environment. While traditionally associated with manufacturing floors, today’s leaders use Gemba Walks across all types of workplace settings.

More than just a simple walk, this practice involves leaders stepping into their team members' roles to better understand their daily tasks and challenges.

In the construction and built environment industries, Gemba Walks provide an opportunity for managers to connect with the ground-level operations. By observing and engaging with the workforce, they can drive significant improvements.

Benefits of Implementing Gemba Walks

Leaders gain a real sense of daily operations

Leaders who consistently participate in Gemba Walks gain more than just data—they get a real sense of their daily operations. By directly observing work processes, they can spot bottlenecks and inefficiencies that might not be evident from afar.

Leaders develop a holistic view of their operations

Gemba Walks also allow leaders to see how different departments interact and influence one another, improving the quality of services and products, and ultimately, customer satisfaction.

Leaders gain a better understanding of both their people and processes

Interacting directly with employees is a key element of every Gemba Walk. These interactions are not just about observing but engaging with teams to get valuable feedback. This direct communication helps leaders grasp what is or isn’t working on the ground.

Gemba Walks also foster stronger relationships between management and frontline workers.

Managers learn directly from employees during these walks, showing respect and valuing their expertise. This respect boosts trust and improves communication, leading to better employee engagement and empowers employees, making them more capable of handling future challenges without direct intervention.

How to Effectively Implement a Gemba Walk

Plan your walk

Initiating a Gemba Walk without a clear plan is not effective. Choose a specific process or issue to focus on for each walk, such as the sales process, potential time waste, or safety concerns. Trying to cover everything at once can be overwhelming. Set a goal for the walk, like examining productivity or safety, and consider using a checklist to keep track of specific items, but remember, the checklist is just a guide to help you spot unexpected issues.

How often should you do Gemba Walks?

The frequency of Gemba Walks can vary based on several factors such as your industry, the nature of work, the size of your company, and your specific goals and objectives. For instance, in a manufacturing environment, it might be beneficial for supervisors to conduct daily Gemba Walks across various areas of the shop floor to maintain a regular check on operations.

Ultimately, the decision on how often to conduct Gemba Walks should align with what best suits your organisational needs.

Make sure to inform your workers

Inform your frontline workers about the Gemba Walk beforehand to avoid misunderstandings or concerns about job security. Explain when the walk will take place and the objectives behind it. Clarifying that the goal is to improve processes and make their jobs easier will help make team members more comfortable and open during the walk.

Follow your value stream

Understand the flow of value through your company—identify what your company produces and how. Start where the value creation begins, such as the start of a production line or the intake of a new job, and follow the process through to the end. This path might reveal significant opportunities for improvement, especially at handoff points between teams or where bottlenecks occur.

Document and keep notes

Keep detailed notes during the Gemba Walk and don’t rely on your memory alone. Documenting helps maintain focus and prevents premature conclusions. These notes are crucial for later reflection and planning improvements without bias.

Review and share your findings

After the walk, compile your observations into actionable insights and discuss these with your team. Sharing your findings and asking for input demonstrates respect for their experience and helps refine improvements. This follow-up is essential for transparency and shows that Gemba Walks are a collaborative effort.

It's important to maintain consistency in your Gemba Walks to ensure that each walk is focused and that observations are comparable across different sessions. This is where using a standardised Gemba Walk checklist for each session comes in handy.

See our example checklist below for ideas on setting up your documentation:

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Use and customise this digital Gemba Walk checklist template for free

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Digitise your Gemba Walk checklists and more

Streamline your Gemba Walk with a pre-built Gemba Walk checklist template.

The standardised template comes with all the fields and sections you need to do an effective Gemba Walk, and you can customise it to suit your project or location needs with the simple drag-and-drop form builder.

Add photos, videos or PDF attachments to your Gemba Walk checklist to build bulletproof records.

Easily export your completed Gemba Walk checklists as professional CSV or PDF to share with your internal team or external third parties.

Streamline and improve your processes with a smart Gemba Walk solution

A dedicated Gemba Walk app can improve how you and your team manage Gemba Walks.

Easily conduct and document Gemba Walks on site using your mobile or tablet, and sync the data back to the office automatically once submitted.

Take photos directly through the app, attach them to your Gemba Walk documents and use photo markup to highlight critical issues like hazards or areas for improvement.

Set up automated workflows to make it easier to plan, carry out and review your Gemba Walks.