Before the walk
| Item | Done |
|---|
| Theme chosen (a standard, a red measure, safety, flow through one process) | ☐ |
| Tier board reviewed: yesterday's reds, overdue actions, open escalations | ☐ |
| Time fixed in leader standard work; area told you are coming | ☐ |
During the walk: 15 questions
| Area | Question | Note |
|---|
| Safety | Is anything unsafe right now? | |
| Safety | Does the area match its 5S standard? | |
| Safety | Is the standard work visible and current? | |
| Quality | How do you know this output is good? | |
| Quality | What was the last defect and what happened to it? | |
| Quality | Where does rework happen? | |
| Delivery | Are we on plan this hour; if not, why? | |
| Delivery | Where did the time go? | |
| Delivery | What stopped the line last shift? | |
| Cost | Where do you wait, search, walk or carry? | |
| Cost | What workaround do you use most? | |
| Cost | What is hardest to find? | |
| People | What gets in your way? | |
| People | What would you change? | |
| People | Is anyone doing a task they are not signed off for? | |
How to behave on the walk
- Watch several cycles before speaking.
- Ask open questions and let silence do the work.
- Write what you see, not what you conclude.
- Thank people for showing you a problem.
- Do not solve on the spot unless it is a safety issue.
After the walk
| Record | Owner | Due | Tier |
|---|
| Observation 1 | | | |
| Deviation from standard | | | |
| Problem raised by the team | | | |
| Item to escalate | | | |
| One thing to recognise | | | |
Why the checklist matters less than the rhythm
A walk done at the same time every day with any reasonable checklist beats a perfect checklist used once. Put the walk in leader standard work, rotate the theme so every standard is seen over a month, and track the findings like any other standard: were walks done, what was found, which findings repeat.
Step by step
- Prepare. Pick the theme and read the area's tier board so the walk goes to what is red, overdue or escalated.
- Observe. Stand at the work for several cycles and compare what happens with the standard before asking anything.
- Ask. Three to five questions from the list, chosen for the theme, then listen.
- Record. Observations, deviations and problems with owners and dates, at the place, with photos where useful.
- Follow up. Put the actions on the team's tier board and check them on the next walk.
A worked example
A packaging line team leader walks the line at 7:15 each morning with one theme. On a changeover-standard day she watches two changeovers, finds the label tension setting is being judged by eye, asks what would make it easier, and records a problem: no marked setting. The action, marking the setting on the machine and adding it to the changeover checklist, is owned by the setter, due in a week, and reviewed in the next three huddles until the jams stop.
