Visual management

Go-see protocol

Go-see protocol is licensed CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Katafacts (katafacts.com).

1 · What it is

What it is

A go-see protocol is a gemba walk with real technique behind it — the work instruction shape (major step, key point, reason) applied to observation instead of a task. Describe the walk roughly, and real steps get drafted: what to check, how to observe without distorting what you see, and why each technique matters.

2 · When to use it

When to use it — and when not to

Use it when

You want to verify that a visual board or training matrix reflects what's actually happening, not just what's documented.
A new leader or team member needs a real, repeatable way to observe the work, not just wander over and watch.
You want to catch drift between the plan and reality before it becomes a real problem.

Not when

The observation is genuinely a one-off, not a repeatable practice — a work instruction adds structure a single visit doesn't need.
You'd be observing to catch someone doing something wrong rather than to understand the real work — that's not what a go-see walk is for.

3 · How to fill it in

How to fill it in

Purpose: What does this walk verify, and what would go unnoticed without it?
Steps, key points & reasons: Drafted from your description of the walk — major steps, each with zero or more key points and, for every key point, the reason it matters.
Narrative: Drafted from the steps actually built.

4 · What good looks like

What good looks like

The example below is a go-see walk that checks the renewal-risk queue's visual board and ILUO matrix against what's actually happening on the floor — three of four steps have a real key point, and the fourth is honestly left flagged rather than padded.

Same example, as a downloadable xlsx workbook.

Download .xlsx

Work instruction

Go-see walk — renewal-risk queue

Support — renewal-risk queue

Priya Nair · 2026-10-09

Purpose

Verifies that what the visual board and training matrix claim is actually true on the floor — catches drift between what's documented and what's really happening before it becomes a real problem.

Steps, key points & reasons

4 steps · 3 key points

1. Stand at the point of work without interrupting

Watch a full ticket-handling cycle before asking any questions — Interrupting early means you see the explanation, not the actual work.

2. Compare what the board shows against what's actually happening

Check the KPI tree summary's numbers against the live dashboard, not from memory — A board that's a day stale looks fine at a glance but hides real drift.

3. Ask the person doing the work what's slowing them down

Ask open questions, not leading ones — A leading question gets confirmation, not a real answer.

4. Note any gap between the ILUO matrix and who's actually handling each ticketNo key point yet

Narrative

Three of four steps have a real key point grounding the technique in a specific reason. The fourth, noting gaps between the ILUO matrix and actual handling, is still just an action with no key point yet — worth adding once there's a clearer sense of what to specifically look for.

5 · Common mistakes

Common mistakes

Asking questions before watching a full work cycle.
An early question changes what you see — you get the explanation, not the real work.
Comparing the board against memory instead of the live data.
A board that's a day stale still looks fine at a glance — checking against live numbers is what actually catches drift.

6 · What it connects to

What it connects to

upstream

Visual board design guide
A go-see walk exists to verify the board's own claims against reality.
ILUO training matrix
Checking who's actually handling the work against who the matrix says is trained is a natural go-see step.

downstream

7 · Where AI helps

Where AI helps

Judgement — stays yours

Deciding whether a step genuinely needs a key point or is simple enough not to
Deciding what a drifted observation actually means for the team

Analysis — AI helps

Drafting major steps, key points, and reasons from a description of the walk
Drafting the narrative from the steps actually built

Drudgery — automated

Counting steps and key points
Identifying which steps still have no key point
Exporting to xlsx in the house format

9 · Rate this kata