You can spend an hour showing someone where to click and still send them back to their desk completely unprepared to use the damn software.
They attended. They nodded. They might have even said it made sense.
Can they actually do the work?
That's the part we need to check.
Gemba means the actual place. In continuous improvement, we go where the work happens so we can understand what's really going on. I think we need to bring that same thinking to training, especially when we're asking people to use a new system.
A demo project with made-up tasks might show someone what the software can do. But they still have to figure out how any of it applies to their job once training is over.
That's a lot to leave to chance.
Give the practice a purpose
On a recent project, I'm building training directly into the project the team will actually use. Each person gets a short set of practice tasks. One skill at a time, with clear instructions, a clear finish line, and a reason it matters.
Instead of asking people to leave a test comment, ask them to comment with their working hours, preferred contact method, and who to contact when they're unavailable.
They learn how to comment. The team gets information it actually needs. The practice moves the project forward.
You can do the same thing with assignments, status updates, and handoffs. Use a task they recognize. Explain what their update tells the next person and why that person needs it.
Now the training has something to do with their job.
Teach people how to ask for help
“I'm stuck” tells me there's a problem. It doesn't give me enough information to help solve it.
What's blocked? What does it affect? What do you need, and from whom?
Have people practice that during training. Give them a realistic situation, such as missing information that prevents them from starting an assignment, and have them flag it where the work lives.
The point isn't to make every comment sound perfect. It's to make sure the next person can understand the problem and respond before the missed handoff becomes a missed deadline.
Check the view from their account
If someone's assignments live in subtasks, but their view doesn't show subtasks, you've just trained them to open an empty list.
Of course they don't see the value. They can't even see their work.
Check access, permissions, notifications, and what shows up on their screen before you expect them to use the system independently. Your administrator view is not evidence that their account works.
And if they'll be using it from a phone on the floor, include that in the practice. A desktop demonstration doesn't answer every question someone will have when they're standing beside a machine.
Have them show you before they leave
Somebody will finish first. Somebody will need to do it twice. Make room for both. Pair people up when it helps, and give them a way to ask questions without feeling like they're holding up the whole room.
Then check the actual skills. Can they find their assignment, update it, ask a question on the task, and flag something that's preventing progress?
If they can't, we have more training to do.
A signed attendance sheet tells me someone was in the room. It doesn't tell me they're ready. And if an entire team leaves unable to use the system, we need to look at how we taught it before deciding the employees are the problem.
This applies beyond software. A procedure, a production process, a new piece of equipment. Give people a chance to practice the work in the context where they'll use it, with the safeguards the task requires.
Build training around what people need to do. Then stay long enough to see whether they can do it.
Taylor Ehlmann is an operations leader and ISO 9001:2026 Lead Auditor who writes about building processes and teams that keep getting better. More about Taylor