How often should gemba walks be conducted?

Best practice is daily for team leaders, weekly for middle management, and monthly for senior leadership. Consistency matters more than duration — a focused 15-minute daily walk is more effective than an occasional hour-long tour.

Can video recording replace gemba walks?

No — video recording enhances gemba walks but cannot replace them. The human interaction aspect (talking with operators, understanding context) is essential. Video adds the ability to analyze observations in detail afterward.

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Glossary

Gemba Walk — Go to Where the Work Happens

Gemba (現場) means 'the actual place' in Japanese — the factory floor where value is created. A gemba walk is a management practice where leaders go to the production area to observe processes, talk with workers, and identify improvement opportunities firsthand. Unlike desk-based reviews, gemba walks emphasize direct observation of actual conditions rather than relying on reports or data alone.

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How to Create

While gemba walks are traditionally observational, combining them with video recording amplifies their impact. Record processes during gemba walks, then use Yamazo Studio to analyze the footage in detail — measure cycle times, identify waste, and create standard work documentation. This transforms subjective observations into objective, data-driven improvement actions.

Example

A plant manager conducted weekly gemba walks but struggled to quantify observations. By recording 10-minute video clips during walks and analyzing them in Yamazo Studio, the team identified that operators at 3 stations spent an average of 22% of cycle time waiting for parts — a problem invisible in monthly production reports.