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Gemba Resources

The literal translation for gemba is “the real place” – it is where the work is actually performed. Depending on the type of work we are talking about, gemba could be a rig location, a trenching operation, a well site, a cubicle, a conference room (e.g., pattern review, RCFA, etc.) It is simply wherever the “work” is getting done. In truly lean organizations, managers and supervisors are required to spend a significant amount of time at “gemba”.

 

Detail

So, what do you as a manager or supervisor do when you get to gemba? Let’s first ask “why” we go to gemba. According to Toyota (lean), leaders are expected to be teachers and mentors. Leaders are expected to teach their people how to do their work safely, efficiently, and according to the standard. They are also expected to teach their people how to improve the standard utilizing the scientific method. Leaders within Toyota are judged largely on the performance and success of their direct reports, and those at the next lower level. In order to be an effective teacher and mentor for their people and to develop their abilities to solve problems and improve their processes, they need to interact with them where and while they are performing their work – that is the only way they will really understand what their people are up against and how to help them.

While at gemba they heavily utilize the Socratic Method (teaching through questions). The questions vary depending on the situation, but they are a combination of questions for inquiry (for the manager or supervisor to learn more about the work and the worker), and questions for teaching (guiding the worker through the problem definition and problem solving process). The key is to be respectful and genuinely interested in helping the worker to be a better person and better worker.

There are no magic questions to ask, or even any standard questions. The manager or supervisor needs to ask the appropriate questions of inquiry or teaching depending on the situation. Most interaction with employees would include both types of questions. Let’s look at a hypothetical visit to gemba (while this is an Operations example, the same principles apply to Engineering):

Supervisor: “Hey Joey, I’d like to ask you a few questions, would it be safe for me to talk to you while you are working?” {Joey assures her it is safe}

Supervisor: “Well, first, I want to make sure the work we are doing around here is as safe as it can be. What are the safety hazards in the work that you are doing right now?” {Joey answers}

Supervisor: “Well, what do you do to make sure you don’t get hurt?” {Joey answers}

Supervisor: “Is there anything else we can do to make the work safer?” {Joey answers}

Supervisor: “Do you have all the equipment and materials you need to do your job right?” {Joey answers}

Supervisor: “How do you know how this particular job is supposed to be done?” {Joey answers}

Supervisor: “Can you think of any ways to do this job better?” {Joey answers}

Supervisor: “I’m going to let you get back to your work now Joey. Since I have interrupted you in the middle of your work, please take a moment to get re-focused so you can work safely. Thanks for your time, if I can help you in any way please don’t hesitate to come and talk to me”

Putting the Pieces Together

It is truly amazing how much information can be generated in such a brief and simple dialogue. It is very important that the manager or supervisor act on the new information, either by helping the worker develop and implement solutions on the spot, or by following up with the worker to ensure that problems are resolved and improvements made. When these gemba visits become the norm in a culture, managers and supervisors are able to develop a deep understanding of the work that is going on in their area of responsibility as well as the skill levels and the needs of their people.

Following, are some sources from which you can generate some meaningful questions for gemba:

Since “respect for people” is the foundation of Lean, how do we demonstrate respect for people:

• Having a safe work environment

• People knowing that they are adding value

• People having opportunities to utilize their creativity

• Continually developing people’s skills & competencies

• People contributing to the improvement process

Significant contributing factors to true worker engagement are:

• I know what is expected of me at work

• I have the equipment and materials I need to do my job right

• I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day

• In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work

• My supervisor seems to care about me as a person

• My opinions seem to count

• My fellow employees are committed to doing quality work

• This past year, I have had opportunities to learn and grow (adapted from “Discovering the Elements of Great Managing” Gallup Management Journal - December 2006)

Example of questions Toyota supervisors might use for assessing workers’ understanding of the first rule of the DNA of the Toyota Production System, “all work shall be highly specified as to content, sequence, timing, and outcome”:

• How do you do this work?

• How do you know you are doing this work correctly?

• How do you know the outcome is free of defects?

• What do you do if you have a problem? (From “Decoding the DNA of the Toyota Production System” – Harvard Business Review 1999) Now, go to gemba and learn all you can about your people and their work. Help them to be more effective problem solvers and help them to improve their processes!

Books

Accounting for World Class Operations
by Jerry Solomon & Rosemary Fullerton
Creating Level Pull
by Art Smalley
Getting the Right Things Done
by Pascal Dennis
Implementing World Class Manufacturing, 2nd Edition
by Larry Rubich and Mattie Watson
The Lean Design Guidebook
by Ronald Mascitelli

Tools

There are over 500 forms, procedure templates, and other tools in the Member's Toolbox. The following is a partial list.

Finance Toolkit
Average Cost of Capital Calculator
Buyout Evaluation
Capital Budgeting Spreadsheet
Capital Structure Spreadsheet
Cash Flow Matrix
Cash Flow Model
Cash Gap Calculator
Cash Sensitivity Calculator
Comparable Performance Spreadsheet
Cost of Debt Calculator
Effective Rates Calculator
Financial Forecasting Model
Financial Projections Model
Free Cash Calculator
Inventory Policy Spreadsheet
IPO Timeline
Leverage Effects Calculator
Limited Buyout Valuation
Lockbox Location Strategy
NPV & IRR Calculator
Proforma Financial Example
Ratio Analysis Calculators
Synergy Measure
Time Value of Money Calculator
Valuation Model
Working Capital Calculator

Quality Toolkit
CAPA Procedure
Change Control Process
Control of Documents
Control of Non-Conforming Product (flowcharted)
Control of Records
Corrective & Preventive Action (Flowchartted)
Corrective Action Procedure
Discrepant Material Report Procedure
Document Control Procedure - 2
External Document Control
First Article Approval Procedure
First Article Inspection Procedure
Incoming Inspection (Flowchartted)
Inspection Procedure
Inspection Test Status Procedure
Internal Audit Procedure
Internal Audits Procedure - 2
Internal Corrective Action Request
Preventive Action Procedure
Product Traceability Procedure
Quality Audit Procedure
Quality Manual (ISO-9001 2000)
Quality Manual (Medical)
Statistical Process Control Procedure
Supplier Qualification Procedure
Supplier Qualification Procedure - 2
Supplier Qualification Procedure - 3
CAPA Form
Implementing ISO-9001:2000 for the first time
Introduction to SPC
ISO Demystified
NPI Material Movement and Inspection
Quality System Waiver Procedure
Quality System Waiver
Non-Conforming Material Report Form
Supplier Qualification Record
Control of Non-Conforming Product
Control of Records (visio)
Training Procedure
Supplier Monitoring Process #2
First Article Inspection Form
Certificate of Compliance
Workmanship Standard - Soldering
Calibration Process
Manufacturing QA Process
Non-Conforming Material Report Form
Corrective and Preventive Action Request
Statistical Process Control Procedure
ISO 9001:2000 Presentation

Materials Toolkit
Export Guidelines
Handling and Storage Procedure
Manufacturing Routings
Material Review Board - 2
Material Review Board Procedure (flowchartted)
Material Traceability Procedure
Procurement Procedure
Product Traceability Procedure
Production Planning Procedure 1
Purchasing Procedure
Purchasing Process (Flowchartted)
Receiving and Shipping Procedure
Receiving Procedure
Receiving Procedure (Flowchartted)
Repair Sales Order Tracking
Safety Controlled Part Procedure
Shipping Process (Flowchartted)
Sub Contract Design Procedure
Sub Contract Work Orders Procedure
Supplier Bid Acceptance
Supplier Corrective Action Request
Supplier Qualification Procedure
Supplier Qualification Procedure - 2
Supplier Qualification Procedure - 3
Traffic Procedure
Waste Manifest
Cost Reduction Atlas
Cost Reduction Fishbone
Cost Reduction Tracking Sheet
Economic Order Quantity Worksheet
Material Move Ticket
Material Substitution Request
Request to Outsource
Supplier Application
Supplier Qualification Record
Supply Request Form
Control of Non-Conforming Product
Production Planning Procedure 2
Cell Capacity Planning Worksheet
Capacity Model Worksheet
MRP Numbering Format Procedure
Exempt Use Certificate (Resale)
Supplier Questionnaire
Supplier Monitoring Process #2
Certificate of Compliance
Servicing of Customer Product
Materials ID, Traceability and Handling Procedure
Customer Owned Property Log

HR Toolkit
90 Day Review Form
Annual Review Form
Ergonomics Training
Leadership Training
Office Safety Training
HR Policy
Performance Review Procedure
Personnel Guidelines for Supervisors
Training Procedure
Writing Job Descriptions
OSHA Injury and Illness Forms
Employee Review Input Form
Ergonomics Assessment Form
Leader Selection Worksheet
Leadership Continuum Chart
OSHA Recordkeeping Requirements
Telephone Etiquette
Rules of Communication
Performance Based Wage Worksheet
Succession Planning Worksheet
Team Survey Worksheet
Gain Sharing Worksheet
Training Procedure
Ergonomic Program
Early Return to Work Program (Worker's Comp)
First Aid Report
Ergonomic Program
Office Ergonomics Evaluation Form

Safety Toolkit
Basic Safety Training
Confined Space Training
Chemical Shipping Training
Ergonomics Training
Electrical Safety Training
Effective Safety Training
Hazard Communication Training
Kaizen Training
Leadership Training
Lean Enterprise Training
Lockout / Tagout Training
Machine Guarding Training
Office Safety Training
One Piece Flow Presentation
OSHA Recordkeeping Highlights
OSHA Recordkeeping Presentation
Product Safety Compliance
Safety Controlled Part Procedure
Chemical Safety
Electrical Safety Program
Emergency Response Plan
Evacuation Program -2
Forklift Daily Check
Hazard Communication Procedure
Injury Illness Prevention Program
Laser Safety Program
Lift Truck Safety Program
Lockout Audit Form
Lockout Tagout Program - 2
OSHA Injury and Illness Forms
Personal Protective Equipment Procedure
Report of Unsafe Condition
Safety Inspection Worksheet
Six Sigma in Safety Metrics
Waste Manifest
Ergonomics Assessment Form
OSHA Recordkeeping Requirements
Chemical Safety Procedure
Electrical Safety Procedure
Emergency Response Plan
Ergonomic Program
Safety Inspection Checklist
Lockout-Tagout Program
First Aid Report
Confined Space Program
Confined Space Access Permit
Asbestos Operations and Maintenance Program
Chemical Safety (incl. Chem. Hygiene Plan)
Bloodborne Pathogens
Chemical Spill Response
Confined Space Program
Construction Safety
Electrical Safety Program (with checklists)
General Electrical Safety
Emergency Eyewashes and Deluge Showers
Ergonomic Program
General Fire/Life Safety
Fume Hood Certification
Hazardous Waste Disposal
Hearing Safety Program
Industrial, Maintenance and Construction Safety
Laser Safety Program
Lead Hazard Control Program
Machine Shop Safety Program
Machine Shop Checklist
Personal Protective Clothing
Pesticide Safety
Regulated Medical Waste
Respiratory Protection Program
Respiratory Protection Program
Safety Requirements for Contractors and Subcontractors
General Shop Safety
General Vehicle Safety
General Office Safety
General Safety
Personal Protective Equipment
Office Ergonomics Evaluation Form
Evacuation Program
First Aid Policy

Procedures Toolkit
Calibration Procedure
Calibration Procedure (2)
CAPA Procedure
Change Control Process
Contract Review
Control of Customer Property (Flowchartted)
Control of Documents
Control of Non-Conforming Product (flowcharted)
Control of Records
Corrective & Preventive Action (Flowchartted)
Corrective Action Procedure
Custom Products Contract Review
Customer Contract Acceptance
Customer Order Acceptance
Customer Service Call Handling
Customer Training Procedure
Data and Documentation Security (Flowchartted)
Design Process Procedure
Design Quality Plans
Design Review Handbook
Design Reviews Procedure
Design Standards Procedure
Discrepant Material Report Procedure
Document Control Procedure - 2
Drafting Standards Procedure
ECN Procedure
Electrical Design Standards Procedure
Engineering Change Orders Procedure
Engineering Notebook Procedure w/ Invention Disclosure Form
ESD Procedure
Export Guidelines
External Document Control
Financial and Accounting Policies
Firmware Vaulting
First Article Approval Procedure
First Article Inspection Procedure
Foreign Visitors Procedure
Handling and Storage Procedure
HR Policy
Incoming Inspection (Flowchartted)
Inspection Procedure
Inspection Test Status Procedure
Interchangeability Rules and Document Control
Internal Audit Procedure
Internal Audits Procedure - 2
Internal Corrective Action Request
Lean and Agile Enterprise Guideline
Manufacturing Routings
Material Review Board - 2
Material Review Board Procedure (flowchartted)
Material Traceability Procedure
Mechanical Design Standards Procedure
New Production Introduction Process
NPI Document & Data Control
On Site Field Service Procedure
Optical Design Standards Procedure
Part Numbering & Configuration
Performance Review Procedure
Personnel Guidelines for Supervisors
Planning BOM Management
Preventive Action Procedure
Price List Control
Process Control Procedure
Procurement Procedure
Product Calibration Procedure
Product Development Process
Product Safety Compliance
Product Traceability Procedure
Production Planning Procedure 1
Production Stop Procedure
Proposal, Order, Invoicing
Purchasing Procedure
Purchasing Process (Flowchartted)
Quality Audit Procedure
Quality Manual (ISO-9001 2000)
Quality Manual (Medical)
Receiving and Shipping Procedure
Receiving Procedure
Receiving Procedure (Flowchartted)
Repair Sales Order Tracking
Safety Controlled Part Procedure
Service Parts Pricing Procedure
Servicing of Customer Equipment
Shipping Process (Flowchartted)
Software Configuration Management
Software Control System Procedure
Software Vaulting and Retrieval
Statistical Process Control Procedure
Sub Contract Design Procedure
Sub Contract Work Orders Procedure
Supplier Bid Acceptance
Supplier Corrective Action Request
Supplier Qualification Procedure
Supplier Qualification Procedure - 2
Supplier Qualification Procedure - 3
Traffic Procedure
Training Procedure
Travel & Expense Policy
Travel Expense Policy
Visual Basic Coding Standards
Visual C++ Coding Standards
Work Instructions and Forms Control
Workmanship Standards
Writing Job Descriptions
Production Planning Procedure 2
Control of Records (visio)
Training Procedure
Preventative Maintenance Process
Chemical Safety Procedure
Electrical Safety Procedure
Ermergency Response Plan
Ergonomic Program
Safety Inspection Checklist
Lockout-Tagout Procedure
5-S Process
MRP Numbering Format Procedure
Supplier Monitoring Process #2
Servicing of Customer Product
Workmanship Standard - Soldering
Materials ID, Traceability and Handling Procedure
Calibration Process
Manufacturing QA Process
Statistical Process Control Procedure
Early Return to Work Program (Worker's Comp)
Confined Space Program
Chemical Spill Response
Laser Safety Program
Safety Requirements for Contractors and Subcontractors
General Shop Safety
General Office Safety
General Safety
Evacuation Program
NPI Process Procedure

Engineering Toolkit
Design Process Procedure
Design Quality Plans
Design Review Handbook
Design Reviews Procedure
Design Standards Procedure
Drafting Standards Procedure
ECN Procedure
Electrical Design Standards Procedure
Engineering Change Orders Procedure
Engineering Notebook Procedure w/ Invention Disclosure Form
Firmware Vaulting
Interchangeability Rules and Document Control
Mechanical Design Standards Procedure
New Production Introduction Process
NPI Document & Data Control
Optical Design Standards Procedure
Planning BOM Management
Product Development Process
Software Configuration Management
Software Control System Procedure
Software Vaulting and Retrieval
Sub Contract Design Procedure
Visual Basic Coding Standards
Visual C++ Coding Standards
Design Review Template
DFMA Analysis Worksheet
Engineering Work Request Form
NPI Material Movement and Inspection
Phase Checkoff Form
Risk Probability Analysis Example
Beam Profile Calculator
NPI Process Procedure
NPI -Gate Deliverables Form

Marketing Toolkit
Contract Review
Custom Products Contract Review
Customer Contract Acceptance
Customer Order Acceptance
Customer Service Call Handling
Customer Training Procedure
On Site Field Service Procedure
Price List Control
Proposal, Order, Invoicing
Service Parts Pricing Procedure
Servicing of Customer Equipment
Professional Services Agreement
Proposal and Quotation
Non-Disclosure Agreement
Product Sales Release Form

Six Sigma Toolkit
Cause-Effect Matrix
Control Plan
Critical to Quality Characteristics
Data Collection Plan
Design FMEA Template
Detection Matrix
DOE 2x2 Design
DOE 2x3 Design
DPMO Calculator
DPMO - Sigma - CpK Conversion
Failure Occurence Matrix
Failure Severity Matrix
Fishbone Diagram
Five Forces Model Analysis
FMEA Information
Function Deployment Matrix
Gage Control Plan
Economic Order Quantity Worksheet
House of Quality Form
PPM Calculator
Process Analysis Worksheet
Process Output Variable Capability Sheet
Process-Product FMEA Form
Project Action Plan
Risk Assessment Form
Rolled Throughput Yield Calculator
Root Cause Analysis Timeline
Root Cause Brainstorm Form
Sigma Level Calculator
SIPOC Worksheet
Sigma PM Plan
Six Sigma Process Control Plan
Six Sigma Project Template
Six Sigma Project Timeline
Solution Evaluation Form
X-Y Measure Relationships
Z Table

ESD Toolkit
ESD Control Program for Protection of Electrical and Electronic Parts, Assemblies, and Equipment
ESD Control Handbook for Protection of Electrical and Electronic Parts, Assemblies, and Equipment
Workstation, ESD Control
Marking for Shipment and Storage
Protection of Electrical and Electronic Parts, Assemblies and Equipment
Requirements for Wrist Strap, Electrostatic Discharge
ESD Control Program
Reporting Results of ESD Sensitivity Tests
Handling Procedures for ESD Sensitive Items
Monthly ESD Checklist
Introduction ESD Control Program
ESD Standards and Specifications
Conducting ESD Audits
Controlling ESD in Flooring
ESD Basics
ESD Facility Survey
ESD Glossary
ESD Overview
ESD Protected Area
Graphics Folder

Biosafety Toolkit
Chemical Safety Checklist
Biosafety Level 2 Safety Checklist
Biosafety Level 3 Safety Checklist
Biological and Radiological Safety Checklist
Bloodborne Pathogens Exposure Incident Report
Biological Spill Inside Biological Safety Cabinet
Biological Spill Inside Lab and Outside Biological Safety Cabinet
Biological Spill Outside Lab, During Transportation
Biological Spill Inside Centrifuge
Spill of Corrosive Materials
Spill of Flammable Solvents
Spill of Toxic Material
First Aid Report
Hazardous Materials Exposure Report
Hazardous Waste Label (sample)
Regulated Waste Management Tree
Radioactive Nonreportable Spill
Radioactive Reportable Minor Spill
Radioactive Reportable Major Spill
Shipper's Declaration (sample)
Training Documentation Form
Biosafety for Laboratory Workers
Chemical Spill
Hazardous Waste
Pesticide Safety
Regulated Medical Waste