Gemba is a Japanese word meaning the actual place where value-creating work happens. Many leaders use gemba only for solving problems, visiting only when there is an issue. Others practice gemba walks on a daily basis to follow up and monitor the situation. However, Toyota believes that leaders truly develop through daily experiences at the gemba. In reality, gemba is a principle for managing, developing and improving people and processes. It is a valuable tool that helps lean practitioners learn the true facts so they can base management decisions on the actual situation.

Poka-yoke is a Japanese word that means "error-proofing". It involves using simple and cheap tools to help workers avoid making mistakes in their work. These devices prevent errors like using the wrong parts, forgetting to put in a part, or installing a part the wrong way. In simpler words, in Japanese, "poka" means making a mistake by accident, and "yoke" means stopping or avoiding the mistake. Have you ever wondered why Japanese cars are known for being reliable. Even cars that are 20 years old can still run well and keep up with the newest and top cars in the automobile industry. This is because they are made to be of high quality. Quality is being built into the design process.

In order to cut costs during the economic downturn, many businesses are implementing abstinence policies. This could mean laying off workers and cutting some wages. In fact, those actions might only work for a short time.Unless the company implements a culture of continuous improvement and alters its method of operation, the situation may recur and become even worse. This brings us back to the purpose for which the Toyota production system was developed. Waste is anything that uses resources but offers the customer nothing in return. Most activities are waste, or "muda," and can be divided into two categories. Although type one muda does not provide value, it is inescapable given the production assets and technologies available today. An illustration would be checking welds for safety, that type we also call necessary non value-added activity. Type two muda does not add value and can be quickly eliminated. An illustration is a process in a process village with disconnected phases that may be swiftly converted into a cell where unnecessary material moves and inventory are no longer necessary. A very small portion of all value-stream activities truly generate value as perceived by the client. The most effective way to boost business performance is to stop doing the numerous unnecessary things.

In 12 new essays, ranging from the provocative to the practical and written specially for the second edition of Gemba Walks author and management expert Jim Womack reflects on the past 30 years of lean, and assesses the current state of lean today.He also shares thoughts on how lean thinking and practice can continue to make the world a better place by gaining traction in areas such as government and healthcare, provides practical guidance for how leaders everywhere can realize the full benefits of a lean management system, and shares hope for continued improvement on the path to better work and more value.Over the past 30 years, Womack has developed a method of going to visit the gemba at countless companies and keenly observing how people work together to create value. He has shared his thoughts and discoveries from these visits with the lean community through a monthly letter. With Gemba Walks second edition, Womack has selected and re-organized his key letters, as well as written 12 new essays.Gemba Walks shares his insights on topics ranging from the application of specific tools, to the role of management in sustaining lean, as well as the long-term prospects for this fundamental new way of creating value. Reading this book will reveal to readers a range of lean principles, as well as the basis for the critical lean practice of: go see, ask why, and show respect.Womack explains: - whatever happened to Toyota and what happens next to lean?- how lean got its name 25 years ago; a special essay co-authored by Jim and John Krafcik, president and CEO, Hyundai Motors America- work, management, and leadership -- what is the real work of the lean leader?- don't offshore or reshore -leanshore- why companies need fewer heroes and more farmers (who work daily to improve the processes and systems needed for perfect work and who take the time and effort to produce long-term improvement)- how "good" people who work in "bad" processes become as "bad" as the process itself- how the real practice of showing respect comes down to helping workers frame and solve their own problems- how the short-term gains from lean tools can be translated to enduring change from lean management.- how the lean manager has a "restless desire to continually rethink the organization's problems, probe their root causes, and lead experiments to test the best currently known countermeasures"By sharing his personal path of discovery, Womack sheds new light on the continued adoption and development of the most important new business system of the past fifty years. His journey will provide courage and inspiration for every lean practitioner today.

One-piece flow, also known as continuous flow, is considered the ultimate lean goal. It describes how items are efficiently moved from one stage of the process to the next by designing the workflow around the requirements of the product. To get from point A to point B is the objective. Any waste or halt in production is equivalent to the stones and dams that direct the flow of water. We examine our layouts, devices, procedures, rules, cultures, and knowledge while attempting to implement flow to see what might be causing these flow-blocking factors. Continuous flow aids in waste reduction. Because there is harmony and rhythm between each stage of the process, wastes are eliminated from the system. This enables each team member to provide value rather than produce waste. Processing waste is decreased because there is naturally less rework (or overprocessing), there is only as much work done as the customer is prepared to pay for, and there is only one accepted technique to complete the task (no bad processing).

Many businesses say that lean failed to meet their long-term objectives and that the improvements it brought about were only temporary. When businesses utilize lean as a toolkit, copying and pasting the methodologies without trying to adapt the employee culture, manage the improvement process, maintain the outcomes, and grow their leaders, 7 out of every 10 lean projects fail. The primary objective when the Toyota production method was developed was to eliminate wastes from the shop floor by utilizing some lean techniques and technologies. What wasn't made obvious was that Toyota would need to invest heavily in personnel development and training throughout a protracted leadership development process. An issue with management and leadership, as well as an incorrect understanding of human behavior and the necessary culture for success, is the failure to achieve and sustain improvement.

This book discusses the seven deadly wastes (muda) in the value stream process. It presents the cost of each waste, its effect on the process, and how it can be eliminated to increase profitability. Waste removal increases the profitability of any business. Processes are classified into value added and waste. The seven deadly wastes that could exist in any manufacturing process originated in Japan and are defined in the Toyota production system (TPS). The main goal became removing them. For each waste, there is a strategy to remove or eliminate it. What is less likely is that managers will know how any of these issues are affecting them and increasing costs. To remove each waste, you have to understand where it comes from, why it exists, and how it affects your business. In the economic recession, many companies are taking abstinence procedures to reduce costs. This might include layoff labors and reducing some wages. Actually, those actions might work for only a short period. Afterwards, the situation may return and in worse shape unless the company changes its way of doing things, including enacting a culture of continuous improvement. This puts us back to why the Toyota production system has been created.

Having no standardization work process means no quality. Everyone will do this task differently. Tracking the source of errors is difficult without the work standard. When a leader perform gemba walk on shop floor to observe the situation, there is no benefit from the walk when there is no standard. In the classic old way of management, companies were and (many are still) following the Taylor’s principle, Taylor said that industrial engineers should be the only ones who initiate, create, modify, adapt and improve the process. And workers should follow what the industrial engineers are saying. Standard work is being used to measure employees performance. This is really a contrary to respect for people which is one of the main pillars in the Toyota production system and was the reason why Toyota is a high performance company. Toyota is strong by its people not by its process. Toyota Creates standard work to eliminate wastes, develop employees skills and develop high level of knowledge.

Yes, people called it an inventory reduction program when they first heard of it. “Just in time” is one of the main pillars in the TPS. “Just in time” ideally means “one-piece flow.” Inventory is the greatest waste in the process, and it hides many problems, such as quality problems, breakdown times, waiting waste, and more. Let’s get back to history. Prior to the 1970 oil crisis, very few people in the world know what Toyota was up to. The fact that it emerged stronger than ever while many of its competitors were quite battered made people take notice. People went to Japan to find out how Toyota had done this. What people found was that Toyota was doing something called “just in time.” In the West, this was interpreted as an inventory reduction program. As a result, it became known as the “just-in-time inventory” program. Nobody really believed inventory could be taken out of the whole value stream. Therefore, “just in time” came to mean “go beat the heck out of your suppliers.” The big three auto companies (Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler) had lots of power over their suppliers, and they became pretty expert at this tactic—to their eventual detriment. James P. Womack came forward with Lean Thinking in 1996 and helped many to see the whole value chain. He showed how waste clogs the system and how continuous improvement was needed to link all parts of the chain to customer demand. He explained his findings in plain English, but once again people didn’t hear. Lean might be an element of the larger strategy, but it is most likely to be relegated to plant and manufacturing work. As a result, one company after another has tried lean and failed. Many people believe that just-in-time inventory equals zero inventory. The ideal situation is one-piece flow, which can only be achieved through the use of a manufacturing cell. The inventory buffer exists, but it is rarely used. The Andon system includes a buffer. There is a safeguard in place to protect your customer. There is a buffer to prevent the entire manufacturing line from being shut down to rectify a problem. There is a buffer in place to prevent the breakdown of a vital manufacturing process. Just-in-time production is a manufacturing system that produces and delivers only what is required, only when it is required, and only in the amount required. The Toyota Production System is built on two pillars: JIT and jidoka. JIT is based on heijunka and consists of three operating elements: the pull system, takt time, and continuous flow.

Heijunka, which means "production smoothing or leveling" in Japanese, is a method that helps balance production in all areas and with suppliers over time. It aims to make Just-In-Time (JIT) production easier. Heijunka is an important part of Just-in-Time (JIT) production. It means finding and keeping a consistent level of production. The main purpose of using the Heijunka technique is to provide goods at a consistent pace, which allows other operationsto also run smoothly and predictably. This helps decrease wastes and the amount of inventory.