Which of the following is NOT one of the traditional seven wastes of Lean?
Select one answer.
Why your Gemba walk might be missing the real waste
You walk the floor. You nod at operators. You check the boards. And you return to your desk with nothing to show for it. If that sounds familiar, you are not alone — but you are also leaving money on the floor. A Gemba walk without a discovery is itself a form of waste. The problem isn't that your processes are perfect; it's that you haven't trained your eyes to see what's really happening.
Gemba, a Japanese term meaning "the actual place," is a cornerstone of Lean management. It involves going to where value is created — the shop floor, the hospital ward, the service center — to observe work in real time. When done correctly, Gemba walks reveal the "hidden factory" of inefficiencies that never show up on reports. According to one analysis, a well-structured Gemba walk checklist can reduce observational bias by up to 40%, helping teams see what is actually happening rather than what they expect to see.
The eight wastes you should look for
Traditional Lean thinking identifies seven wastes (often remembered by the acronym TIMWOOD): Transportation, Inventory, Motion, Waiting, Overproduction, Overprocessing, and Defects. Many practitioners now add an eighth: Skills (or non-utilized talent). During your Gemba walk, keep these categories in mind:
- Transportation: Moving materials or information more than necessary.
- Inventory: Excess raw material, work-in-progress, or finished goods.
- Motion: Unnecessary movement by people (e.g., walking to find tools).
- Waiting: Idle time for operators or machines.
- Overproduction: Making more than the customer needs right now.
- Overprocessing: Doing more work than required (e.g., extra approvals).
- Defects: Rework, scrap, or errors.
- Skills: Not leveraging employees' knowledge and ideas.
How to conduct a Gemba walk that uncovers hidden waste
A successful Gemba walk is not a casual stroll. It requires preparation, focus, and follow-through. Follow these steps:
1. Define the theme and scope
Before you step onto the floor, decide what you are looking for. Is this walk focused on safety, quality, flow, or a specific waste type? A clear theme keeps the observation sharp. For example, a "water Gemba walk" can help identify leaks and excessive water use at low cost.
2. Review the current process map
Look at the documented process before you go. Note known problem areas and bottlenecks. This gives you a baseline to compare against what you actually see.
3. Assemble the right team
Include the team leader, operators who do the work, and a facilitator. Avoid large groups that turn the walk into a parade. The ideal size is three to five people.
4. Observe without interrupting
Stand at the edge of the work area. Watch the flow of materials, information, and people. Time a single task. Note where work piles up. Look for workarounds — operators who have rigged their own solutions because the standard process doesn't work.
5. Ask open-ended questions
Engage with employees respectfully. Ask: "What frustrated you yesterday?" or "What would make your job easier?" The people doing the work know where the waste is. A Gemba walk creates an open channel for communication and collaboration.
6. Document findings immediately
Use a standardized checklist or a digital tool to record observations. Capture the type of waste, its location, and its estimated impact. Digital checklists can streamline data collection and ensure nothing is forgotten.
7. Prioritize and act
Not every observation requires a full Kaizen event. Pick one thing you can improve today. Quick wins build momentum and show the team that their input leads to real change.
Common mistakes that hide waste
- Walking with a fixed agenda: If you already know what you want to see, you will miss what is actually there.
- Treating it as a tour: A Gemba walk is not a performance review. It is a discovery process.
- Failing to follow up: Nothing erodes trust faster than asking for input and then ignoring it.
Quiz: Test your understanding
Which of the following is NOT one of the traditional seven wastes of Lean?
- Overproduction
- Motion
- Skills (non-utilized talent)
Correct answer: Skills (non-utilized talent) — this is often considered the eighth waste, not one of the original seven.
How the Resident Expert Can Help
Windy Hill Partners helps organizations break the cycle of operational chaos by embedding Lean Six Sigma tools that surface hidden waste and sustain improvements. Bob Buckwalter, CSSBB, PMP, MBA, brings over 20 years of process improvement experience and a documented financial impact of over $20 million across six industries. Whether you need to design a Gemba walk program or tackle deeper process bottlenecks, Windy Hill Partners can equip your team with the methodology and mindset to see waste — and eliminate it for good. Visit Windy Hill Partners to learn more.