Ohno Circle
Ohno circles are commonly used as part of Gemba activities to support the direct observation of processes in order to build awareness of the problems and sources of waste that may exist within a specific work area or operation.
During continuous improvement exercises, the circle provides a vantage point from which participants can observe, analyse and record data for various operations.
Following the gemba mentality, team members then ask questions, compile a list of observations and prioritise improvement actions.
It is recommended that this tool is deployed or taught in conjunction with the SES Gemba Walk lean tool which introduces several important concepts that can also be applied to Ohno exercises.