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Best 5 Free Online Courses With Certificate Of Completion [2018]

8/28/2018

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Best 5 Free Online Courses With Certificate Of Completion

When you want to get more qualifications and increase your skills, you can find many good online courses that can help you. However, you need to think carefully about your future before choosing the first one that appeared in the search results. ​
Career skills to jumpstart your future.
Despite you may have enrolled and completed many different courses that give you a wide range of skills, and despite you can still mention them on your resume, this might not be enough. After all, we live in a world where competition is the king. So, you need not only to find the best online courses for you as you need to get the proper certificate of completion. If you put yourself in the shoes of your employer, you would also like to see this kind of certificate ideally paired with a solid college GPA.. He's not taking you the credit to take some of your free time to improve your skills. But if he has the option to choose between someone who took some online courses and someone who took free online courses with certificate of completion, he will choose the second option. There's no question about it. 
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So, if you want to make the most out of the time you'll spend taking a free online course, you better search for one free online course with certificate. 
​Here are the best 5 free online courses with certificate of completion:

#1: Udemy

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Udemy is a well-known website where you can find video courses on the most diversified subjects. The courses are taught by experts in each field and you'll be able to watch the video lectures, do some quiz tests or polls, depending on the course that you choose. Some also have homework or assessments that you need to do. 

Udemy allows you to buy a course but they also have free online courses with certificates. Despite not all the courses provide you with a certificate, most do. So, when you're choosing an online course from Udemy, make sure to check the details to see if you chose one that allows you to get a certificate of completion at the end.
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#2: Coursera

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Coursera is an amazing website where you can take courses at some prestigious universities like the Stanford University, for example. They cover many different topics so you can be sure that you'll find what you're looking for here. 

Most courses only require that you have a computer and access to the Internet so that you can take the course as well as to make any upload of an assessment that you might need to. By searching their free online courses, you'll see that most of them are usually video lessons with quizzes and a final assessment. 

Although not all free courses provide you with a certificate of completion, many do. And the best thing is that they're free.

#3: OHSC - Oxford Home Study College

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At the Oxford Home Study College or OHSC for short, you can find many different courses that you might like. Their courses cover a wide range of topics and despite they're not all free, you have pretty good odds of find one that will suit your needs. 

When you're looking to get a free online course with certificate of completion, the OHSC is definitely one website to check. Their high-quality courses and materials that they put at your disposal are very good. In the end of the course, you'll notice how much your skills improved in such a short period of time.

#4: Saylor

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Working since 2008, Saylor's Academy is a non-profit organization with the goal to provide free courses to anyone who wants to learn. They have more than 100 different courses on the most varied subjects that you can take at your own pace, on your own schedule. 

Their materials are a little different because they're curated from a huge number of online and free sources. So, you can expect the courses to be high-quality and that you'll learn everything you need. And the best of all is that they will give you a certificate of completion as you finish the course. ​
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#5: Six Sigma Certification

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There's no doubt that Six Sigma is becoming more and more popular every day. The fact that it allows your company to optimize its processes and improve both effectiveness and efficiency, removing all the waste, it's one methodology that attracts many business owners. However, and despite a lot has already been said about Six Sigma, the information is spread all over the Internet. If you want to access, for free, at a complete training program about Six Sigma that will also help you prepare for the different certification exams you might be considering, you should check here. 

Besides learning a lot more about the Six Sigma, you'll also have the chance to get Six Sigma certification at the end of the training program.
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As you can see, you have plenty of options when you're looking for the best free online courses with certificates. Taking an online course has multiple advantages, both personally as well as professionally. You can either take the course about some subject that particularly interests you or you can take one that will help you get a promotion in the new future, allow you to search for a better job than the one you currently have, it may help you if you're having problems finding your first job, or even if you needed to be out of the job world for some time, an online course may be just what you need to turn the skills you already have fresher in your memory as well as to learn new ones.

Coursera
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Gemba, Gembutsu, Genjitsu - The 3 G Of Kaizen

8/10/2018

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Gemba, Gembutsu, Genjitsu - The 3 G Of Kaizen

Kaizen is a very used strategy that is mainly focused on continuous improvement. Kaizen tends to be very used by many different businesses especially in manufacturing and warehouse facilities. The main goal of the Kaizen methodology is to improve efficiency and eliminate waste.

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gemba gembutsu genjitsu
One of the things that you need to know about this broad methodology is that it can be applied under many different strategies. One of these strategies and probably one of the most well-known is the 3 G Principles - Gemba, Gembutsu, Genjitsu.
The main goal of the Gemba, Gembutsu, Genjitsu is to work together to allow decision makers or managers to go directly to where the products are and where they are produced and see them with their own eyes. When this principle is followed correctly, decision makers and managers will have a better perspective and information that will allow them to make better decisions.
​
Read more about Kaizen and Kaizen Blitz.

So, what exactly are Gemba, Gembutsu, Genjitsu?

#1: Gemba – The Shop Floor

kaizen-3G-principles
Gemba is the first one of the 3 G principles and it is usually described as where the action occurs or the shop floor.

In case you already heard about Gemba, you probably already heard about the Gemba Walk. What the Gemba Walk means is simply to have the managers, leaders, or decision makers go to the shop floor where the real work is done. So, instead of managers and leaders to stay in their offices and get the information only from workers, they should take the time and see how things are done on the shop floor.
​
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#2: Gembutsu – The Actual Product

manager-at-shop-floor
While looking at the overall manufacturing process is important, it is also important to look at the actual product. And this is called the Gembutsu.

The truth is that one of the main concerns of managers and leaders needs to be the quality of the products they sell. So, they need to make sure that they review the finished products to be certain that they have the quality required by customers. However, the Gembutsu goes a bit further. After all,  managers and leaders need to check the product at their different stages. This will allow them to notice if there is any quality issue with the product. This will also be extremely helpful to determine where there might be a flaw within the process in a quick way.

One of the major benefits of using Gembutsu is that it allows managers and leaders to see where the real value of the product is created and, this way, they will be able to determine where they can save time and money.

#3: Genjitsu – The Facts

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The last principle of the # G f Kaizen is Genjitsu. This is the time where managers and leaders analyze the facts, what they see on the production process.
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One of the things that you need to know about the Genjitsu is that it isn't meant to point fingers or blame someone for anything. This is simply the step required to get more information that can help managers and leaders make the necessary changes to eliminate waste when possible as well as to avoid problems.   ​

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Gemba, Gembutsu, Genjitsu - The 3 G Principles

When working together, the Gemba, Gembutsu, Genjitsu are a powerful and important tool when you are looking to improve your business. After all, by using Gemba, Gembutsu, Genjitsu, managers and leaders will be able to be on top of what is happening, and more importantly, they will see exactly what is happening with their own eyes.

In case you want to start applying the Gemba, Gembutsu, Genjitsu, the truth is that all it takes s for managers and leaders to get out of their offices and go to where the real work is done. By observing everything, they will be able to gather a lot of precious information and data that will serve them to make better decisions to eliminate waste as well as to improve efficiency. ​
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Yamazumi Chart Explained

8/10/2018

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Yamazumi Chart Explained

When you know that a company or organization is applying the Line Balancing system, you can be sure that they are using the Yamazumi chart.

But what exactly is the Yamazumi chart and how does it help?

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yamazumi-chart
Simply put, the Yamazumi chart is a diagram that allows you to immediately know when supply and demand are unbalanced. This way, organizations or companies have the ability to immediately rebalance the project to ensure that efficiency is always kept. Ultimately, the use of a Yamazumi chart is able to deliver immediate results for both the company as well as for the customer. ​
Yamazumi is a Japanese word that means to stack up and can b quite helpful to know when you should begin a Kaizen event. In addition, one of the things that you need to know is that each process task is represented in a stacked bar chart.
​
Everything you need to know about the statistical process control charts. ​

A Yamazumi chart usually includes different categories: value added, not value added, and waste. The duration of each task is also annotated and displayed in the same bar chart. What makes the Yamazumi chart a different visual tool is the fact that each task within the process is stacked up so that you can have a better perspective of the entire process.
yamazumi-chart-different-operations
As you can see in the previous Yamazumi chart, the x-axis represents each process step and the y-axis represents the cycle time.

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Most Yamazumi charts include the same first red bar named Takt Time. Others may simply include a dotted line representing the Takt Time. Simply put, the Takt Time is the limit of time that your processes should take. Ideally, you should never have any process with a bar higher than the takt time bar. After all, this would mean that you would be producing a lot of waste and that the process could be improved in terms of cost and efficiency.
yamazumi-chart-with-takt-time-above-process
However, as you can imagine, the takt time can change throughout the processes as well as throughout time. So, when you are analyzing a Yamazumi chart, you will be able to discover if any of the processes is the bottleneck as well as if there is any process that you can improve.

​Why Should Organizations Use The Yamazumi Chart?

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Organizations and companies are always looking to improve their results by decreasing their costs and, at the same time, by increasing their revenues. And the Yamazumi chart can be a good way to help you achieve both goals. After all, this tool allows you to know the processes that can be improved in terms of waste elimination as well as in terms of efficiency.  As a result, the more efficient the company or organization, the faster it will be to create output, quality output, leaving customers happy.

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Overall we can say that a Yamazumi chart is a very helpful tool to help companies and organizations to rebalance their processes whenever there is a change in the takt time. After all, the Yamazumi chart provides a great visual indication of:

  • the operations that are overloaded (beyond the takt time)
  • the operations that are underutilized
  • the delays
  • the wastage
  • the blocks.
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Production Line Balancing And Its Benefits

8/10/2018

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Production Line Balancing And Its Benefits

Many organizations around the world use the production line balancing strategy. But what exactly is the production line balancing?

Simply put, the production line balancing is a strategy that allows making the production lines flexible enough to allow them to absorb both the internal irregularities as well as the external irregularities.

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production line balancing
When you are talking about production line balancing, it is important to notice that there are 2 different types of line balancing:

  • the static balance: The static balance refers to the long-term differences in capacity during a period that shouldn't be inferior to several hours. It is said to be a static imbalance when people, machines, or even workstations are underutilized.
  • the dynamic balance: The dynamic balance refers to the short-term differences in capacity during a period that shouldn't exceed hours. It is said to be a dynamic imbalance when product variations and mixes are done during the work time and that aren't related to the product mix.
Whenever there is an imbalance, no matter if it is a static or a dynamic imbalance, the workmen should be able to take care of the situation. They should be taught to react quickly to them so that the changes in the output aren't significative. ​

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When an organization or company adopts the production line balancing, you need to note that this strategy works under two different circumstances:

#1: Cycle Time Restriction:

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Each workstation has a maximum time in which the products spend. However, not all workstations have the same cycle time. ​

#2: Precedent Constraint: ​

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When applying the production line balancing, a product just can't move to the following workstation if it didn't complete all the tasks that are necessary on the current workstation. After all, there are some activities or parts that need to be performed before the product moves on to the next workstation.

Read more about value stream mapping.
So, what's the purpose of using or adopting the production line balancing?

Simply put, adopting the production line balancing has a lot of benefits for the organizations. These include:

  • Deciding on the number of workstations necessary to improve the final output
  • A more effective management of the workloads among assemblers
  • Decrease the production costs
  • Recognize and determine when there is a bottleneck
  • Deciding on the tasks assigned to each specific workstation so that the idle time is minimum.
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When you are adopting the production line balancing, it is important to notice that there needs to be a certain flexibility on the production line that should be linked to the individual capabilities and skills. So, whenever a worker is dealing with problems solving the issue that arose at his workstation and it is causing delays, another worker should intervene and help.

Discover everything you need to know about the Pareto analysis and the Pareto chart.

In addition, workers should be trained to perform a manual checkup of all the machines they will be using each day before they start to work. This will prevent equipment failures during the work time.

Overall, the application of the production line balancing involves some science but it can also be considered an art. The reality is that labor flexibility is an asset for the management since workers will need and will know how to inspect all the machines every single day.
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Jidoka - Toyota Production System

8/10/2018

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Jidoka - Toyota Production System

The truth is that when we think about the Japanese people, we think about individuals who like to have everything in order and where nothing can be out of place. Maybe this is one of the reasons why Toyota Motor Corporation has always tried to improve their manufacturing process by adopting new methodologies.

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jidoka toyota
In case you don't know, Toyota has adopted a lean manufacturing system or a Just-In-Time system that allows the company to be more efficient. In fact, the model was such a success that it was studied all over the world. ​
Toyota has its entire company focused on "making the vehicles ordered by customers in the quickest and most efficient way, in order to deliver the vehicles as quickly as possible." With this in mind, the company is using the Jidoka Toyota, which can be simply translated as the automation via the human touch, in conjunction with the concept of Just-In-Time. With the implementation of the Jidoka Toyota, the company has its own way to operate. When a problem suddenly arises, the equipment will be immediately stopped. The main goal of this interruption is to ensure that the company doesn't produce any defective products. On the other hand, with the implementation of the Just-In-Time (JIT) methodology, Toyota uses one process for only what is needed by the following process. Overall, this is how the TPS Toyota works so that the company can produce high-quality vehicles quickly and efficiently, one at a time, that can make their customers completely happy.

Discover what is a Gemba Board. 

Here's a more in-depth look over the TPS Toyota and of the two components it includes:

#1: Jidoka:

tps toyota
The main principle behind Jidoka is that quality is key and needs to be present during the manufacturing process. After all, with Jidoka, you can easily visualize the problems that occur.

When a machine detects a problem and stops on its own preventing defective products to be produced, this problem will be immediately communicated via the Andom system.

One of the best things about the TPS Toyota is that since their vehicles are made one by one, the interruption of a process won't affect the next one. SO, workers can continue to do their jobs using another machine while they prevent what caused the machine to break or stop in the first place.

Discover more about the Andon System.

#2: Just-in-Time:

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The main goal of the Just-in-Time methodology is to improve the overall productivity of an organization by making only "what is needed, when it is needed, and in the amount needed!"

So, according to the Just-in-Time principle, the goal is to produce high-quality products by eliminating unreasonable requirements, inconsistencies, and waste on the production line.

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Jidoka
With the combination of these two methodologies, the TPS Toyota seems to be one that performs well. It doesn't only produce quality products only as well as they also increase the productivity by eliminating all the waste in the production line. In addition, even when a problem occurs and a process needs to stop until the root causes are discovered and the solution found and implemented, this won't stop the next processes from continuing to work regularly. ​
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Material Review Board: Definition And Benefits

8/10/2018

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Material Review Board: Definition And Benefits

The Material Review Board (MRB) is just a team of experts within a wide range of areas that include planning, manufacturing, stress, design, quality, among many others. This is what is called a cross-functional team and the Material Review Board usually meets on a weekly or monthly basis.

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material review board
The main goal of the Material Review Board is to meet to decide about any critical deviation that can't be dispositioned outside this group. One of the things that you need to understand is that we just can't define these deviations in a specific way. All we can say about them is that they do not conform to a specification or standard of a specific assembly, part, or the materials that are associated.
When the Material Review Board meets, they will then decide about what they will do with the non-conformity. The Material Review Board will begin by documenting the non-conformity that was discovered in a Non-Conformity Report (NCR) which is simply a document that allows the tracking of all the deviations. Each NCR reports only one deviation.

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​
The job of the Material Review Board is then to analyze the NCR and they then decide about what they need to do. Here are the options:

#1: Use As Is: ​

Material-Review-Board-meating
The first option that the Material Review Board can make is to state that the material or part should continue to be used without any change.

The Material Review Board can only apply this disposition after they confirm that the part or material won't affect the rest of the process in any way.

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#2: Repair Or Rework: ​

Material-Review-Board-repair-and-rework
The second option that the Material Review Board can is to order for the part or material to be repaired so it can be used again.
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In order to make this decision, the Material Review Board needs to first confirm that the part is able to handle all the stress during the process and that it will be able to comply with all the regulations. ​

#3: Scrap: ​

Material-Review-Board-tracking-material
The last option that the Material Review Board has is to simply discard or scrap the part. Usually, this is the last option that the Material Review Board decides to take since it means that the part or material includes a major flaw that just can't be reworked or repaired and can't be used as is without interrupting the process.

Learn more about the Central Limit Theorem.

While it may seem that the Material Review Board isn't really a crucial piece within your organization, you should consider this better. After all, including a Material Review Board within your organization can bring a lot of benefits to the organization that include:

  • The improvement of the process by knowing the causes and the rework rates.
  • The shipping of the products will be done sooner.
  • There is a save in time and cost to process rework.
  • It makes the determination of the labor costs of rework easier and more transparent.
  • You will have real-time data about the parts that need to be reviewed and that are designated for rework as well as you will know where these parts are in the rework process.

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What Is Andon System And How To Use It?

8/10/2018

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What Is Andon System And How To Use It?

Andon is a Japanese word that is usually used in lean manufacturing. Andon means sign or signal in English and when used under the lean manufacturing approach, the Andon system refers to the system that notifies management, maintenance or other workers when there is a problem with the quality or with the process.

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The Andon system requires the use of an electronic advice that incorporates some kind of signal lights that alert whenever there is a problem. Some more advanced can also include audio alarms, text, or other forms of visual displays. ​
andon system
One of the things that you need to understand about the Andon system is that it is deeply connected to the Jidoka quality control method. In fact, it's not possible to understand the Andon system without understanding Jidoka first.
​
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One of the best examples of the Jidoka use that we can give you is related to the Toyota System Corporation. The truth is that the company was the first one to implement a system where the process was immediately stopped in case there was a suspect of a defect. According to the Jidoka principle, when the process stops, you have an immediate opportunity to improve the entire process. Jidoka is usually used in lean manufacturing to help you discover a problem as soon as it happens and to immediately develop solutions to prevent it from happening again. ​

So, what is the relationship between the Andon system and the Jidoka?

andon-report
Simply put, the Andon system acts as the principal and as the typical tool at the same time that is applied to the Jidoka principal. Usually, in order to activate it you just need to pull a button or a cord and at this moment the team can all get together and apply the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) Cycle, apply the root-cause analysis, and, finally, apply the solution as quickly as possible.

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One of the things that you need to know about the Andon system is that it can work very well for a wide range of industries, In fact, we have been different organizations using this system for consumers. Just think about your car's dashboard. Whenever it detects that you have low oil or fuel. a light will appear on the dashboard so that you know what is happening immediately.

Using The Andon System In Manufacturing

Using the Andon System in manufacturing brings a lot of benefits. These include an increased level of uniform product quality, greater sales through global markets, a better design of products which also provides an improved service, and a higher level of product testing.

What is the 5Z procedure?
andon-system-with-timer
In case you are looking to start using the Andon system within your organization, you need to understand that its use will completely eliminate the need for whiteboard, clipboards, and even word-of-mouth.

Since you will give the workers the power to pull the button and stop the process, they are usually told to do it when the following occurs: ​
andon-system-with-wireless-monitoring
  • a defect is found or created
  • there is a part shortage
  • the existence of a safety problem
  • a tool malfunction.​

As soon as the alert is given, the work will remain stopped until someone finds a solution.
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Gemba Board A Handy Visual Management Method

8/10/2018

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Gemba Board A Handy Visual Management Method

When you are a more visual person, you may be looking for a good tool that allows you to visualize your workplace the best way. One of the best tools that you can use is the Gemba Board.

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The Gemba Board is a Visual Management Tool that is very effective both in terms of monitoring as well as in terms of communicating what is happening in the workplace.
gemba board
One of the main advantages of using a Gemba Board is the fact that with this tool, you will be allowing everyone to know exactly where the problem relies on, what everyone is doing to solve it or improve it, and where you are standing at the moment. This allows employees to never forget about the main goals and objectives of the organization.
​

Discover what is the Gemba Walk.
The truth is that a Gemba Board is a great visualization tool that allows to anyone who works at the workplace and sees it, immediately understands the status of that unit, what the current status is, and what improvements are needed. ​

But Why Is The Gemba Board So Important?

discussing-the-gemba-board
While the Gemba walk is important and allows management and leaders to see what is happening in the real place with their own eyes, as well as to find the solutions for the problems, the process will only begin when the implementation of the solutions start. And they will always start with employees or by their hands. So, making sure that everyone who works in the organization is fully aware, all the tie, of the actions and decisions, is the way to go. This is what will allow everyone to do better no matter if we're talking about an operator, a manager, or even the owner of the organization.
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Check out a Gemba Walk checklist and template.

Another benefit of using a Gemba Board is the fact that it provides real-time information as well as feedback. So, the information is always updated which ensures that everyone knows where they stand at the moment.

While you may assume that there are some workplaces that just don't need a Gemba Board, you are wrong. The truth is that it can be used within the entire organization from the offices to the shop floor. ​

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How Should The Gemba Board Be?

gemba-board
When you are trying to create a Gemba Board, you need to make sure that it includes as much information as you can but it also should be easy to understand. Some of this information includes delivery metrics, material flow, quality, productivity, the workplace safety, among others.

A Gemba Board should always be visible to all workers of the organization and the color should be used in an efficient way.
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So, ultimately, a Gemba Board should be well organized, clean, easily understood,  managed by involving everyone, and it should communicate progress. ​

How To Start A Gemba Board?

start-a-gemba-board-today
Before you actually start a Gemba Board, you need to decide which areas are going to be affected. So, the first thing that you need to do is brainstorm. After knowing where you are implementing the Gemba Board, you need to come up with the right way to communicate the information and metrics as well as to find a place where all the workers in the organization are able to see it.

After everything is all set, you need to make a small meeting to explain all the workers in the organization about the Gemba Board, what it means, and the responsibilities of each one of the individuals, teams, and departments of the organization. ​
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Create Your Own Gemba Walk Checklist

8/10/2018

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Create Your Own Gemba Walk Checklist

You probably already heard that in order to manage the right way, you have to measure everything. But what about those things that you just can't measure like the things that you don't see with your own eyes?

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gemba walk checklist
This is where the Gemba Walk comes in. The truth is that all workstations can be improved to deliver a better and faster output. However, as a leader, you need to see it with your own eyes in action. You just can't remain hidden at your office and hope for employees to come and talk to you. The truth is that they will only come in when a machine needs to be repaired or replaced. Nevertheless, there are many processes and situations that can be improved when you are doing the Gemba walk.

Discover what a Gemba walk is.
So, in order to help you with it, we decided to create a Gemba walk checklist.

The main purpose of a Gemba walk checklist is to provide you with all the tools that you need to ensure that everyone knows what is happening as well as to include everyone in the improvements that need to be made.
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The reality is that a Gemba walk checklist includes 3 crucial elements:

#1: You Need To See: ​

gemba walk template
The first step of the Gemba Walk is to see what is happening. This is usually done on the shop floor. When you are doing this, you will discover if employees are motivated and engaged to meet their goals as well as you will be able to see if they have all the tools and resources they need to reach those same goals.
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Discover what Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are.

#2: You Need To Ask Why:

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Doing the Gemba Walk is more than just passing by the shop floor. You need to watch it carefully and, most importantly, you need to ask questions, the right questions. This is when you probably need to take more time so that you can find the root of the problem that you are having. Usually, tools such as the 5 Whys can be extremely helpful as well as using Kaizen techniques to analyze routines, tools, forms, and patterns.
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Discover what is the 5 Whys method.

#3: You Need To Show Respect: ​

get-out-of-the-office
When you are taking a Gemba Walk, you shouldn't point the finger at anyone. Instead, you need to show that you trust everyone who works on the shop floor since they can be great sources of information. In addition, you should try to train workers so that they can develop better problem-solving skills. ​

Creating Your Own Gemba Walk Template

The truth is that the Gemba walk checklist will depend on the goals and objectives that you have. While some organizations can have as a main goal safety, for others the main goal may be improving innovation and learning, the cost, productivity, or even customer service. So, ultimately, the Gemba walk template that you need depends on the goals that you have. ​
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What Is Gemba Walk? [Meaning, Definition And Application]

8/10/2018

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What Is Gemba Walk? [Meaning, Definition And Application]

In case you are trying to learn a bit more about running a successful business or organization, you will probably read people talking about Gemba walk. But what is Gemba walk?
what is gemba walk
Simply put, Gemba is a Japanese term that means "the real place". So, when you read or hear someone talking about the Gemba walk, you just need to know that it means going to where things happen, to the floor, to where the job is done.

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The truth is that many leaders and management still prefers to stay in their offices and conference rooms deciding on the best approaches for their companies. Nevertheless, this isn't a good idea since you don't really know what is happening in your company or organization. So, instead, you should go to the place where the value is created.

When most people ask about what is Gemba walk, they are usually referring to manufacturing since this is where is more often to hear about this term. So, whenever you hear or read this, this only means that the Gemba is the factory floor.

Learn more about the problem-solving strategy in Lean Six Sigma.

What Is Gemba Walk?

gemba walk
In lean manufacturing, the main goal of Gemba is to detect the easily visible problems in the production line which can only be acknowledged by seeing the real place by the leaders. ​

One of the main sayings, when you are talking about the Gemba walk, is "Go see, ask why, show respect". This means that leaders should go to the floor and see all the processes with their own eyes. However, they shouldn't confront the employees with the flaws. Instead, they should be ready to listen to them and show respect for what they do.

So, how can you apply the Gemba Walk?

The truth is that when you want to adopt this strategy, you will need to ask a lot of questions. Here are some of the questions that are usually asked during a Gemba Walk:

#1: Questions About The SQDC Board Data: ​

  • Do employees look at these charts and how often do they do it?
  • Who is the responsible for updating the charts?
  • Do customers and suppliers look at these charts?
  • What values do employees take from these charts?​

Learn about the cost of poor quality (COPQ).

#2: Questions About The Process Or Activity: ​

gemba-walk-checklist
  • How can you tell if everything is normal and how do you know when something wrong is happening?
  • Would finite measurements be able to tell us more? What exactly?
  • How do you know that employees are following exactly the standard work?
  • When something happens, what do the team teamer and the team members do? Are they all aware of their responsibilities and why they are taking these steps?​

Should you use the Pareto analysis and the Pareto chart?

#3: Questions About The Implementation Of A Lean Practice:

  • How can we sustain the practices that are changing?
  • How will you be able to verify these practices?
  • What changes do we need to make to ensure that we can keep a better track of the effectiveness and to measure process?

So, a Gemba walk assumes that there is a good and clear communication between the leaders/management and the employees. They should be able to answer all the questions and you should make all the efforts to show them the benefits of implementing the changes that need to be made.
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