Gemba 現場

Gemba is a Japanese term meaning "the actual place". In business, gemba refers to the place where value is created; in manufacturing the gemba is the factory floor. It can be any "site"such as construction site, sales floor or where the service provider interacts directly with the customer.

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In lean manufacturing, the idea of gemba is that the problem are visible, and the best improvement ideas will come from going to the gemba. The gemba walk, much like Management By Walking Around (MBWA), is an activity that takes management to the front lines to look for waste and opportunities to practice gemba kaizen, or practical shop floor improvement. 

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In quality management, gemba means the manufacturing floor and the idea is that if a problem occurs, the engineers must go there to understand the full impact of the problem, gathering data from all sources. Unlike focus groups and surveys, gemba visits are not scripted or bounded by what one wants to ask.