What is an Obeya Room?
Do you know what Obeya or Oh-Beya is? It’s a Japanese word that means “large room” or “war room”. Don’t be alarmed, it’s not about going to fight, but about meeting with your team in a place where you can see how projects are progressing, what problems exist, what solutions have been found, and what actions will be taken. This way, you can talk more easily, work together, know what’s happening, and decide what needs to be done.
Obeya has many advantages. For example, it helps you stay aligned with the company’s strategy, feel more committed to your work, be more agile, and innovate more. There are companies that use Obeya and are doing very well, such as Toyota, Airbus, or Spotify.
If you want to create and use an Obeya, you need to consider a few things. For example, you need to define what you want the Obeya for and what objectives you want to achieve. You also need to choose which indicators you will use to measure performance. Additionally, you need to design the space and visual elements you will use to display information. You also need to establish the rules and routines for meeting with your team. And finally, you need to encourage everyone to participate and give their opinion.
Obeya is a very powerful tool for improving project management and company culture, but you need to adapt it to what you need and the context in which you work.
Would you like to know more about Obeya? Well, keep reading, and I’ll tell you some interesting things.
Obeya is not just a room where you meet with your team, but a system, a concept, a philosophy based on principles. These principles are what help you make decisions in an inclusive and sustainable way. For example, some of these principles are:
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Having a shared vision,
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Focusing on customer value,
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Solving problems at the root,
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Learning from mistakes and celebrating successes.
Obeya is not something new, but has been used for years in companies like Toyota¹, where it is part of their lean production system. Lean is a way of working that seeks to eliminate waste and improve quality and efficiency. Obeya is a lean tool that allows you to see the workflow, identify bottlenecks, analyze causes, and apply solutions.
Obeya can be used in both a physical and digital space. The important thing is that it is a place where you can see all the relevant information about the project, such as objectives, indicators, plans, risks, and actions. It is also important that it is a place where you can communicate with your team clearly and frequently, using visual techniques such as graphs, boards, or post-its.
What is Obeya Used For?
Obeya can be used for different types of projects, such as product development, process management, or strategy implementation. What changes is the level of detail and the scope of the information displayed. For example, if you use Obeya for a product development project, you can show the phases of the product life cycle, customer requirements, prototypes, tests, and improvements. If you use Obeya for a process management project, you can show the current process map, critical points, improvement proposals, and expected results.
What Are Its Advantages?
Obeya has many benefits for you and your team. For example, it helps you have a global and shared vision of the project, align your actions with the company’s strategy, detect and solve problems quickly, improve collaboration and trust among team members, foster creativity and innovation, and increase satisfaction and commitment to work.
Tips for Implementing Obeya in Your Company
Now that you know what Obeya is and what it’s for, I’m going to give you some tips so you can create and use an Obeya effectively. It’s not about following fixed rules, but adapting the Obeya to your project and your team. But there are some things that can help you:
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Define the purpose and objectives of the Obeya. What do you want to achieve with the Obeya? What information do you want to show and share? What decisions do you want to make? These questions will help you focus the Obeya and prevent it from becoming a mere bulletin board.
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Select the key performance indicators (KPIs). KPIs are the measures that allow you to know if you are moving towards your objectives. They should be relevant, specific, measurable, achievable, and time-bound. For example, if your goal is to increase customer satisfaction, a KPI could be the percentage of customers who recommend your product or service.
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Design the space and visual elements of the Obeya. The space should be accessible and comfortable for all team members. Visual elements should be clear and simple, using colors, shapes, symbols, and words. You can use different types of visual elements, such as bar graphs, flow diagrams, matrices, or mind maps. The important thing is that the information is easy to understand and update.
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Establish the rules and routines of the Obeya. Rules are the norms that define how the Obeya will be used. For example, who is responsible for each visual element, how information will be updated, how the status of the project will be communicated, or how the history of changes will be recorded. Routines are the activities that are performed periodically in the Obeya. For example, daily or weekly meetings to review project progress, problems, and actions; or brainstorming or feedback sessions to generate ideas or improve the process.
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Encourage participation and feedback from all team members. Obeya is a collaborative tool that requires the commitment and involvement of everyone participating in the project. Therefore, it is important that everyone has a voice and vote in the Obeya, that they can express their opinions, suggestions, or doubts, and that they receive constructive feedback and recognition for their work.
I hope these tips are useful for creating and using an Obeya in your project. Remember that Obeya is not an end in itself, but a means to improve your project management and organizational culture. Go ahead and try it and tell me how it goes!
Examples of Obeya Use
To finish the article, I would like to share with you some examples of how Obeya is used in different types of projects and sectors. This way, you can see how Obeya is applied in practice and how it adapts to each context.
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Obeya for product development. An example of this type of Obeya is the one used by Toyota, the company that originated the concept. Toyota uses Obeya to manage the development of new car models, from the design phase to the production phase. The Obeya displays all relevant information about the product, such as customer requirements, prototypes, tests, improvements, costs, and deadlines. The team meets regularly in the Obeya to review the status of the project, solve problems, and make decisions. Thanks to Obeya, Toyota has managed to reduce the development time of its cars and improve their quality and competitiveness.
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Obeya for process management. An example of this type of Obeya is the one used by Airbus, the aeronautical company. Airbus uses Obeya to manage its processes of manufacturing, assembly, and delivery of aircraft. The Obeya displays all relevant information about the process, such as the value stream map, performance indicators, problems, actions, and results. The team meets regularly in the Obeya to analyze the process, identify waste, propose improvements, and verify benefits. Thanks to Obeya, Airbus has managed to increase its productivity, efficiency, and customer satisfaction.
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Obeya for strategy implementation. An example of this type of Obeya is the one used by Spotify, the music streaming company. Spotify uses Obeya to implement its growth and innovation strategy. The Obeya displays all relevant information about the strategy, such as vision, objectives, initiatives, experiments, and learnings. The team meets regularly in the Obeya to review the strategy, validate hypotheses, generate ideas, and adapt to the market. Thanks to Obeya, Spotify has managed to be a leading company in its sector and offer a differentiated and personalized service to its users.
These are just some examples of how Obeya is used in different types of projects and sectors. Surely there are many more that you could discover and be inspired by. The important thing is that you see that Obeya is a flexible and adaptable tool that you can use to improve your project management and organizational culture.
I hope this article has helped you better understand what Obeya is and what it’s for. If you liked it, share it with your contacts and leave me a comment with your opinion or your experience with Obeya. Thank you for reading!