This philosophy states that to understand an issue, one must go to the actual place (genba), look at the source (genbutsu), and observe the facts (genjitsu) for yourself.

The place where I learned the most as an engineer, was the time when I worked at one of the most successful Japanese automobile companies.  Though I was fortunate enough to shadow many sensei (mentor), I was told in almost every occasion that if I was going to seek answers, I need to “gemba check”.

Gemba (also called genba) is a Japanese phrase which means “the actual place”.  In lean principle it represents where the action is taking place and in essence it is where the source of the answer is.

An engineer or technician, usually the good ones, often oversights the operator of a piece of equipment, without realizing how much insights one possesses through his/her day-in-day-out interaction with it.  As such, “Gemba” in a broader sense, means “go to the actual place, talk to the people at the actual place, and respect the people at the actual place.”

While we are all readjusting to the new normal under COVID-19, service engineers and technicians need to rethink what is the best way to continue to deliver good service if going to the actual place may not be a possible solution.

Part of the reasons why we developed Cyclops AR is to help industrial service engineers / technicians to continue to maintain service quality while having the ability to collaborate remotely with the on-site / frontline worker.  Through collaboration among them, service jobs can be accomplished more efficiently and instantly without having to worry about travel restrictions.  It is an technology platform with enablers such as video conferencing, AR, Industrial IoT, integrated in a way that is user (engineer, technician, frontline worker) centric and empower them to deal with equipment issues faster and easier.

Learn more about gemba philosophy:

The practical wisdom of sangen-shugi