We recommend: Masaaki Imai — 'Gemba Kaizen'
We recommend: Masaaki Imai — 'Gemba Kaizen'
Never sacrifice quality for delivery, quality must always come first!
We recently read Masaaki Imai’s ‘Gemba Kaizen’, an inspiring book on the principles of the kaizen methodology.
Our Thoughts
Gemba Kaizen, a mindset that originated in the Japanese hardware industry, emphasizes continuous improvement (Kaizen) in the workplace (Gemba). Masaaki Imai1 has done an excellent job of explaining various methodologies born from this mindset—such as Gemba walks2, the red button, and root cause analysis3—that help improve efficiency on the work floor.
The book features many memorable quotes where Masaaki underlines the importance of quality:
Quality first! Resist the temptation to cut costs at the expense of quality! And do not sacrifice quality for delivery!
He reminds us that if engineers (the "money-earners") stop work even for a second, the company ceases to make money. Managers (the "non-money makers"), therefore, should not focus on their own importance but rather on how they can help engineers do their jobs with less friction.
Call to Action
When you return to work, take the time to analyze how you and your team get things done. Identify the time spent on muda (the Japanese word for waste) and challenge yourself to find at least one way to improve efficiency moving forward.