---
name: lean-waste-walk
description: Prepare and process a gemba (waste) walk on a construction site - an observation route and checklist of the 8 wastes (DOWNTIME - defects, overproduction, waiting, non-utilized talent, transportation, inventory, motion, extra processing), then turn notes and photos into a waste log, a Pareto and 3 improvement experiments. Use when the user plans a gemba walk, "recorrido de desperdicios", "caminata gemba", a productivity or 5S review, crew observation, or asks where time is lost on site.
---

# Lean waste walk

## Inputs
- The area and activity to observe, the time window and who walks (include a foreman and a crew member).
- After the walk: notes, voice transcript, photos with location; optionally a work sampling count.

## Procedure
### Before
1. Pick one process to follow (e.g. drywall on level 4 from delivery to finished wall), not the whole site.
2. Give the walkers a checklist per waste with site examples:
   - Defects: rework, damaged material, punch items appearing during the work.
   - Overproduction: work done before the next trade is ready, prefabrication too early.
   - Waiting: crews waiting for material, information, inspection, crane, previous trade.
   - Non-utilized talent: crew ideas not asked for, skilled workers moving material.
   - Transportation: double handling, material moved more than once, long hauls.
   - Inventory: material stored on floors long before use, blocking work areas.
   - Motion: searching for tools, walking to far stores, poor access, bending and reaching.
   - Extra processing: cutting on site what could come cut, over-specification, duplicate paperwork.
3. Remind the rules: observe the process, not the people; ask "why" with respect; no blame.

### After
4. Turn each observation into a row: time, location, waste type, what was seen (fact), estimated impact the walker gave (minutes, crew size), photo id, idea from the crew.
5. Count by waste type and location (Pareto); work sampling percentages only if a sampling count was made.
6. Choose 3 small experiments for the top wastes with an owner, a date and a measure (e.g. kitting drywall screws per apartment, check search time next week).

## Output
- Waste log table, Pareto by type and location, 3 experiments, a short summary for the site meeting.

## Never
- Never estimate lost time that the walkers did not observe or report.
- Never turn the walk into a performance review of named workers.
- Never propose more than 3 experiments at once; small, testable, owned.