Have you ever heard of the Obeya? It’s a Japanese term that means “big room”. This Lean practice brings a team together in a room to visually track the indicators of a project and speed up problem solving. This is a logical step forward in strategic planning for your team to work together and head in the same direction.

The Obeya Panels

The Obeya is a 7-panel practice. Each has a specific role and contributes to the success of the company. Here are a few:

• Vision – To get off to a good start, you must ask yourself questions about the problems to solve over the next 3 to 5 years. Having a common vision for the future is crucial.
• V.O.C. (voice of the client) – Since the client is at the center of all decisions, it’s necessary to list on this panel the customers who are affected by the project and regularly question yourself about their requirements so that the team’s actions are aligned with their needs.
• Product: On this panel, the product evolves as the project progresses.
• Macroplan – This panel allows you to put the entire team on the same page for all major stages of the project, in addition to providing a visual tool for meeting deadlines.
• P.D.C.A (Plan, Deploy, Control, Act) – On this panel, you’ll find the PDCA charts on the evolution of the project. The Plan phase aims at defining performance indicators. The Deploy phase consists of experimenting in order to learn from it and adjust your approach. The Check phase assesses the results obtained in the previous phase in order to identify areas for improvement. The Act phase is used to implement changes in the process so that constant improvements become the new standard.

Why ?

Bringing the entire team together in the same room to talk about a project in concrete terms allows the team to be more efficient, share information quickly and make quick decisions. It also ensures that all team members have transparent access to the same information. According to Shigeo Shingo, “people are not interested in the whats until they understand the whys.”

Obeya is a proven tool that can be applied to all areas. You need to start now to get the results you want as quickly as possible. Our experts are available to assist you in your process. Would you like to deepen your knowledge at your own pace? We also have the solution for you! The Obeya is presented in the Black Belt level through our 100% online certification courses at the Lean Expert Academy.