"You can observe a lot by watching." — Yogi Berra

The late Masaaki Imai, a Lean Guru, encouraged managers to do Muda Walks daily. Muda in Japanese means waste. This Lean tool has several names, including "Waste Walks" and "Gemba Walks." Mr. Imai noted that in Japan, companies especially recognized for implementing Lean — such as Toyota — expect all levels of management to spend one hour a day in the operations area doing Muda Walks.

This goes beyond the management-by-walking-around technique made popular by Tom Peters in his book In Search of Excellence. Muda Walks are not really about walking around — they're about going to a work area and staying there, focused on the operations. This is not passing through for a snapshot view. It is observing how work is being done and looking for waste and opportunities to improve. Perhaps we should rename it: Muda Watches — observers should Go and Watch, not Go and Walk.

Muda Walks in Construction?

Senior managers are too busy getting work. Project and shop managers are too busy doing work. A service manager would find it near impossible to regularly visit service jobs. In construction, we seem far too busy to do consistent Muda Walks — maybe one "walk" a month or a quarter might be possible.

Why can manufacturing do frequent Muda Walks, but not construction? As contractors, we think we are different and too busy. Most manufacturing companies think the same, and many don't do Muda Walks regularly either. It is the Lean companies that make time for regular Muda Walks — in both manufacturing and construction. These same companies are making continuous improvements and are the most successful. Like training and safety, doing Lean is an investment, not a cost.

The Lean principle Go and See forms the basis for these walks. Value is added — and waste most often occurs — where the work is done.

What to Look For

Someone once asked Mr. Imai if doing Muda Walks so frequently would cause one to become casual in observing the same work every time. He offered these suggestions:

• Watch for Flow. Don't watch the work — identify what gets in the way of value flowing.
• Look for the Seven Basic Wastes. Always look for quality problems. Rework magnifies all other wastes. Watch especially for overproduction in the form of over-ordering or receiving material too early. Overproduction leads to the wastes of inventory and moving materials and tools around without installing or using them.
• Spot Inventory. Inventory is easy to see — stacks of raw material, fabricated products, or lots of boxes. Parts stashed away are also inventory. We want just enough inventory to keep the crews working, but not excess. Watch how inventory is used up; best practice is FIFO — First In, First Out. Most companies list the seven basic wastes plus not using employees' ideas. This "eighth" waste is also important to reduce, but is harder to observe on walks.
• Watch for Treasure Hunts. They signal an opportunity to improve. This is the most common and frequent waste on any jobsite. No value-added work is done during treasure hunting.
• Observe equipment maintenance and utilization. Look for clutter — it hides problems, and it gives clues too. Mr. Imai always looked for red flags like hydraulic oil drippings, frayed power cords, and large dust accumulations.
• Identify "GAPS" where the actual work process or output differs from what is expected or required. No gap means no problem — or that the observer doesn't know the requirements.

Talk to the Workers

Muda Walks are not spying and will fail if front-line workers think management is trying to catch them doing something wrong. Management must prepare the work areas so no one feels spied upon. Some of the best Muda Walks happen when the observer takes time to talk with the workers. Front-line workers see many more problems than management ever does. Ask:

• What gets in your way when doing the work?
• How can we make it easier for you to do your job?
• What does the next in-line worker need done right?
• What do you need from the previous position?
• What really keeps you from doing a great job?
• What bugs you when doing the work?

Listen to the workers, then ask more questions: "How would you address this issue or problem?" As problems are identified, ask Why — ask five times. Don't ask "Who?" Fix problems now if possible, but don't shoot from the hip. Ask enough questions to understand the problem and coach front-line workers in making the improvements.

Employees want to feel valued and trusted. A recent industry survey found that many employees leave the construction industry because they don't feel valued or trusted. Employees feel more a part of the company when they help solve problems and make improvements — and those improvements also make the company more successful.

A Lean Guru suggests:
Go and See (not walk)  ›  Ask Why?  ›  Show Respect  ›  Do No Harm

Mr. Imai would say: "100 workers making 1% improvement is better than 1 worker making 100% improvement."

Any manager can do a Muda Walk. It pays dividends. Most managers won't make the time to go and see. We all have the same 24 hours a day — how we use those 24 hours makes all the difference.