Frequently Asked Questions
Gemba Insights
Welcome to Gemba Insights, your comprehensive guide to frequently asked questions on your path to continuous improvement. Offering a variety of short videos, articles, and additional resources, Gemba Insights is dedicated to addressing your queries and illuminating new concepts. Whether you’re a subscriber or exploring what Gemba Academy offers, these resources are here to enhance your learning experience.
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Where Should We Start?
To start your lean journey effectively, it's crucial to understand your motivation, secure early wins with real financial impact, and establish a clear vision through learning from advanced lean organizations.
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Five Lean Transformation Tips
It’s easy to veer off course as you embark on your lean journey. These five lean transformation tips will help you stay focused on the right things.
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Create a Lean Learning Path
When it comes to learning about lean, it can be hard to know how to proceed. Learn the three parameters for creating learning paths, and see some examples of these parameters in action.
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How to Get Executive Buy-in for Lean Initiatives
Struggling to get your senior leadership excited about lean and its many benefits? Learn the three ways you can get a lean initiative going at your organization, even without executive buy-in.
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How Much Does a Lean Journey Cost?
Before embarking on a lean journey, any executive or business owner will ask "How much will this cost me?" This is a very valid question, which we answer without making this a commercial for Gemba Academy!
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How to Use the 90-day Lean Roadmap
Our 90-Day Lean Deployment Roadmap is a model designed to guide a learner through the initial phases of a lean deployment across all levels of your organization. Learn how our roadmap can work for you and your organization.
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What is Lean?
Discover Lean Management, the game-changing methodology that propels business efficiency and customer satisfaction to new heights.
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How to Deploy Training
Are inconsistent training methods hindering your organization's growth? Learn from top-performing companies on how to deploy training effectively, from online integration to hybrid models. Equip your team with a unified approach for lasting success.
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What is a Project Charter?
Facing challenges in project management? A Project Charter can help! It minimizes risks and boosts success by defining project details, promoting effective communication, and affirming project manager authority.
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What is Six Sigma?
Battling with process inefficiencies or variability? Look no further than Six Sigma! This powerful, data-driven approach combats defects, minimizes process variability, and improves operational performance. It equips you with a structured problem-solving method, improving decision-making, customer satisfaction, and reducing costs—a must-have tool for project managers and operational leaders.
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What is Kaizen?
Looking for a way to foster continuous improvement in your organization? Kaizen, a philosophy embracing incremental changes for efficiency and quality, could be your solution. Through fostering a collaborative culture, Kaizen not only boosts operational performance and productivity, it also significantly enhances customer satisfaction.
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What is A3 Problem Solving?
Facing complex challenges? Utilize A3 Problem Solving for effective analysis and improvement. This Toyota-coined method boosts quality, efficiency, and collaboration. Ideal for managers and leaders seeking to advance strategic initiatives.
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What is FMEA?
Looking to enhance product reliability and mitigate design errors? Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is a proactive method that identifies and assesses potential process failures, enabling early corrections that bolster quality, safety, and effective risk management. Perfect for individuals in product design, manufacturing, or quality control.
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What is Root Cause Analysis?
If recurring problems are plaguing your processes or quality issues are undermining customer satisfaction, Root Cause Analysis is the solution, designed to identify and address the heart of these issues to prevent their recurrence.
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What are the 7 Basic Quality Tools?
Facing quality issues? Explore the 7 Quality Tools, graphical techniques designed to enhance problem-solving, data analysis, and customer satisfaction in any process improvement endeavor.
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What is Value Stream Mapping?
If you're struggling with workflow bottlenecks and inefficiencies, Value Stream Mapping offers a robust tool for visualizing and enhancing your process from start to finish.
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What is 5S?
If you're seeking to boost workplace efficiency and reduce waste, 5S, a methodology focusing on organization and standardization, could be the solution you need.
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What is a Control Impact Matrix?
If process efficiency and defect reduction are your concerns, the Control Impact Matrix, a key Six Sigma tool, is the solution you need.
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What is a Solution Selection Matrix?
Struggling with decision-making in process improvement? The Solution Selection Matrix, a Six Sigma tool, systematically evaluates and prioritizes solutions based on criteria like cost, feasibility, impact, and risk, leading to better process performance and higher customer satisfaction.
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What is Visual Management?
If you're struggling to communicate complex information quickly and effectively in your organization, Visual Management can offer a solution by using visual aids to enhance transparency, facilitate decision-making, and promote a culture of continuous improvement.
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What is SIPOC?
If you're looking for a way to enhance your understanding of a process, identify potential improvements, and facilitate effective communication, SIPOC - an acronym for Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, and Customers - is a high-level visual tool used in Lean and Six Sigma methodologies that can provide invaluable assistance, especially in the early stages of process improvement projects.
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What is Process Mapping?
To navigate complex processes and pinpoint inefficiencies, Process Mapping offers a visual guide, enhancing operational clarity and customer satisfaction.
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What is Mistake-Proofing?
Struggling with errors and defects in your product or process? Discover mistake-proofing, a proactive Lean management technique that helps prevent these issues before they occur. Through the application of this strategy, improve quality, reduce waste, and enhance customer satisfaction.
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What is DPMO: Defects Per Million Opportunities?
Facing inconsistency in product quality? DPMO (Defects Per Million Opportunities) is a proven Six Sigma metric that pinpoints areas of highest defect rates in your processes. By measuring defects relative to the opportunities for them to occur, DPMO provides a standardized quality assessment, enabling targeted corrective actions. Implement DPMO to drive improvements in product quality, operational efficiency, and overall customer satisfaction.
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What is SMED?
Facing prolonged setup times in your production process? SMED, a Lean manufacturing methodology, offers a solution. By drastically reducing changeover times to under ten minutes, SMED not only boosts productivity but also increases capacity and responsiveness. Dive into the world of Single-Minute Exchange of Dies to transform your production efficiencies and meet customer demands head-on.
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What is a Functional Deployment Map?
Facing confusion about who does what in multi-departmental processes? Functional Deployment Maps, commonly known as Swim Lane Maps, visually demystify roles and responsibilities, making it easier to spot bottlenecks and communication gaps. Dive into streamlined collaboration and enhance process clarity across your organization.
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What is Cp / Cpk?
Struggling with inconsistencies in product quality or grappling with wastage due to defects? Understanding Cp and Cpk can be your answer. Dive into how these statistical tools can illuminate where your process stands and where it deviates. Unlock the key to better efficiency, reduced waste, and consistently meeting customer requirements.
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What About the 8th Waste?
Dealing with unproductive processes and disengaged employees? Consider addressing the '8th waste' in Lean methodology - unused human creativity. Harnessing employee ideas can lead to enhanced profitability, improved engagement, and superior results overall.
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Lean Journey Map: A Visual Guide to Bridging the Gap Between Current State and Future State
Want to keep your team engaged and aligned in your lean initiatives? Introducing a Lean Journey Map not only clarifies the path forward but also actively involves every team member in visualizing progress, identifying hurdles, and contributing to the journey toward comprehensive improvement.
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Don't Let Perfection Get in the Way of Progress
Are you feeling held back by the pursuit of perfection in your lean journey? It's vital to recognize that perfection isn't the end goal; rather, embracing continual progress and learning from each step forward propels both individual and organizational growth.
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Rules in Use
Do you have a gap between 'rules as written' and 'rules in use' in your organization? Uncover the steps to bridge this gap, ensuring your team not only understands but actively applies these rules in daily operations. Transform theory into action and witness a tangible shift towards efficiency and continuous improvement.
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What is Lean Accounting?
Facing challenges with financial management that don't align with your lean operations? Lean Accounting offers a solution, transforming your financial practices to reflect and enhance your lean journey. Learn how to simplify reporting, tailor metrics to lean principles, and empower all levels of your organization for informed decision-making. Lean Accounting isn't just tracking numbers; it's about making them work effectively in your lean transformation.
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What is Lean Finance?
Is your organization's financial management not keeping pace with lean transformations? Lean Finance is the solution, streamlining your financial functions to align with lean principles. Discover how embracing Lean Finance can lead to more accurate reporting, faster decision-making, and overall improved financial performance, enabling informed decisions at all organizational levels.
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Eight Lessons for Sustaining Excellence
Have you implemented improvements, but find that over time things revert to the old ways? Explore eight essential strategies to prevent backsliding and sustain excellence, including leveraging continuous improvement tools and embedding lean principles into everyday activities. These insights offer a roadmap to ensure your advancements endure, keeping your organization's improvement journey on a progressive path.
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How Continuous Improvement Helps the P&L
Are you facing challenges in aligning your business practices with financial performance? Discover how adopting continuous improvement strategies like Lean Management and Six Sigma can transform your company's profit and loss statement.
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The Seven (or Eight) Deadly Wastes
Is your organization struggling with inefficiencies and underutilized talent? Learning about the Seven or Eight Deadly Wastes is crucial for streamlining processes and fully leveraging your team's skills. Discover how understanding and eliminating these wastes can enhance productivity, drive continuous improvement, and make your employees feel valued and productive.
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Making Continuous Learning Fun
Finding it challenging to keep your continuous improvement efforts engaging and effective? Discover five proven strategies to make improvement fun, from fostering friendly competition to eliminating workplace frustrations. Learn how to boost motivation, build engagement, and sustain excellence in a way that excites and empowers your team.
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How to Promote Continuous Learning
Looking to foster growth and engagement within your team? Continuous learning drives both personal and organizational development by prioritizing skills, feedback, and leadership commitment. Discover five key strategies to build a culture where learning is a cornerstone of success.
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How to Reduce Employee Turnover
Are you experiencing employee turnover? Retaining top talent requires more than just competitive pay—it takes strong leadership, meaningful engagement, and a culture of continuous improvement. Discover four key strategies to create a workplace where employees feel valued, supported, and motivated to stay.
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How to Reduce Inventory
Holding excess inventory can tie up cash, increase costs, and hide inefficiencies in your processes. Discover key methods to optimize inventory management and create a more agile, cost-effective workflow.
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