22nd Northeast Lean Conference · AI at the Gemba track
Gemba Before Algorithms
A language model has never seen anything. So the assistant holds the clipboard. You go see.
Everything from the talk
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Five principles
Jidoka for information
Every number carries a source tag. [NEEDS GEMBA] is the andon: nobody knows this yet, go look.
Poka-yoke for data
A missing column gets named, never guessed. OEE over 100% gets flagged, not printed.
Observe, don't solve
The gemba-walk skill asks what makes a step difficult. It won't hand you a punch list.
Sensei first, draft on demand
It coaches with a few questions. Say "just draft it" and you get a draft with every unknown marked.
Respect for people
It frees capacity. What the organization does with that capacity is a leadership decision, and it says so.
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I run continuous improvement at Solar Cannabis Co. Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, named co-inventor on medical-device patents in the U.S., Europe and Canada, and I came up through professional kitchens. More about my work.