Gemba walk

A management practice of grasping the current situation through direct observation and inquiry at the place where value is created, before taking action. A productive walk follows one product family, product design, or customer-facing process from start to finish across departments, functions, and organisations. Everyone who touches the process walks together and discusses purpose, process, and people, so the walk becomes a way to understand work, lead, and learn.

Source checked2/2 values · 2026-10-25Methodology

Specification

1 source

Kind	methodology
Origin	Japanese lean terminology (gemba = "actual place")

Study notes

Gemba means "actual place" in Japanese; Lean Thinkers use the term for the place where value is created.
Japanese companies supplement gemba with the related term "genchi gembutsu" ("go and see") to stress the importance of empiricism.
Following a single product family or customer-facing process from start to finish across departments is recommended by James Womack, author of Gemba Walks and founder of the Lean Enterprise Institute.
Womack recommends gathering everyone who touches the process being studied to walk together.
The walk covers three discussion areas: purpose (what problem does this process solve for the customer), process (how does it actually work), and people (are they engaged in creating, sustaining, and improving the process).
The document refers to Gemba and Genchi Genbutsu as related terms.