At The Gemba
If you want to improve an organisation, start where the work happens.
At The Gemba is Gemba Group’s publication on leadership, software delivery and organisational change. It’s for leaders, coaches and delivery professionals dealing with competing priorities, slow delivery, frustrated teams and change that fails to stick.
Why the gemba?
Gemba is Japanese for “the real place”. In Lean, it means the place where the actual work happens and value is created.
The principle is to go and see for yourself: observe processes firsthand, listen to the people doing the work and solve problems using facts. Get out of the ivory tower and understand what is really happening.
What we’ll get into
Connecting strategy to everyday decisions, so goals help teams choose what matters.
Building leadership and team capability, with the autonomy and support people need to do good work.
Improving software delivery, from recovering difficult projects to strengthening engineering practices.
Making organisational change work in practice, including the incentives, constraints and habits that get in the way.
Expect worked examples, practical tools and a clear account of the choices and trade-offs. I draw on hands-on experience and independent research, including evidence that challenges the argument.
Who’s behind it?
I’m Paul Armstrong. I run Gemba Group, working with leaders and software teams to improve delivery, develop people and turn strategy into results.
The questions explored here come from that work. You can read our case studies or get in touch if you’d like to work with us.
Join us at the gemba
The newsletter is free. New articles arrive in your inbox a week before they appear on the Gemba Group website.
Bring your own experience, including the bits that don’t fit. Reply to an email or join the comments to ask a question, challenge an idea or share what happened when you tried it.
See you at the gemba.
Paul
