Gemba Walk - The Virtual Edition

Virtual Gemba Walks

Following up on the How to do a Gemba Walk article, I had some really good feedback and many have asked "Have you factored in Virtual and Remote Work?". Very good question... My take on it is the following.

Virtual or remote Gemba Walks are just as effective for business teams as they are for manufacturers. They became popular during the pandemic, but businesses still conduct virtual Gemba Walks to save time while optimizing their processes.

You can do virtual Gemba Walks in a variety of ways too:

• One-on-one remote calls Schedule a Zoom video call with your employee and interview them about the process while they go through it with you.
• Online focus groups This is ideal if you work in a team-oriented environment that requires a lot of collaboration. Bring your team together and ask members to focus on a particular process.
• Virtual shadowing This is when an employee shares their screen and the manager observes them as they work. Like an in-person Gemba Walk, the manager only interrupts the employee to ask clarifying questions.

Virtual Gemba Walks follow the same steps and checklist as in-person Gemba Walks. However, there's the added benefit of taking screenshots or recording the walkthroughs, so virtual Gemba Walks can certainly help businesses improve processes over time.

Getting started with Gemba Walks

Gemba Walks aren't a one-and-done deal. They're an essential part of lean management and encourage continuous improvement. If you want to reduce waste, remove silos, improve efficiencies, and increase employee satisfaction, regular Gemba Walks are a must. However, they're just a part of the whole, so it's critical to practice other areas of lean project management too.

When you're ready to get started with Gemba Walks, remember to:

Create a plan

• Prepare your employees
• Analyze the value stream
• Observe without judgement
• Observe processes and systems not people
• Document everything
• Observe instead of correct
• Review and Follow Up

Remember, the goal is to understand and improve, not to audit or blame. Whether in person or via a screen, "Go See" remains your most powerful tool.