{"id":"gemba","model_id":"Gemba","name":"Gemba","summary":"Gemba is the Japanese term for the actual place where value-creating work occurs, such as a factory floor, operating room, kitchen, job site, or software code. A gemba walk is a management practice of observing and asking questions at that place before taking action. It is used to understand current conditions and identify improvement opportunities across the end-to-end value stream.","study_notes":["Also spelled genba.","The document gives industry examples: manufacturing factory floor; hospital operating room; hospitality kitchen and dining room; construction job site; software code.","A gemba walk involves direct observation and inquiry before taking action.","Leaders spend time at the gemba to raise consciousness about end-to-end improvement possibilities and to assess the management system's ability to maintain stability.","A suggested gemba walk follows a single product family, product design, or customer-facing process from start to finish across departments, functions, and organizations.","Japanese companies often supplement gemba with the related term genchi gembutsu, essentially go and see, to stress empiricism."],"safety_notes":[],"sources":[{"url":"https://www.lean.org/lexicon-terms/gemba/","title":"Gemba - What Does It Mean? | Lean Enterprise Institute","accessed":"2026-10-25"}],"verification":{"status":"source_checked","checked_at":"2026-10-25","values":2,"method":"llm_source_check"},"updated_at":"2026-10-25","type":"operational","spec":{"kind":"methodology","origin":"Japanese","related":[]},"url":"https://machineschema.com/operational/gemba","license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"}