Eight Wastes - Pawley Lean Institute

Lean philosophy dictates anything that does not add value to a process or product, or that the customer is unwilling to pay for, is waste and should be eliminated. Each step of a process in the production of a good or service either adds value or waste to the end product. Ultimately, the elimination of waste increases an organization’s productivity and profit.

The 8 wastes within the Lean philosophy are discussed below along with office and manufacturing examples.

Waste	Definition	Office Example	Manufacturing Example
Defect	Work that contains errors or lacks something necessary	• Incorrect information being shared • Data entry errors • Forwarding incomplete documents	• Scrap • Rework • Missing parts
Overproduction	Producing more materials or information than customer demand	• Creating reports no one reads/needs • Making extra copies • Providing more information than needed	• Producing more products than demand • Batch process resulting in extra output • Having a “push” production system
Waiting	Idle time created when material, information, people or equipment is not ready	• Ineffective meetings • Waiting for meetings to start • Files awaiting signatures/approvals	• Waiting for tools, parts, information • Broken machines waiting to be fixed • Raw materials not ready
Not Utilizing Talent	Not, or under, utilizing the talent of employees	• Insufficient training • High absenteeism and turnover • Inadequate performance	• Employing people in the wrong position • Not fully training employees • Missing improvements by failing to listen to employees
Transportation	Movement of materials or information that does not add value	• Hand carrying paper to the next process • Delivering unneeded documents • Going to get signatures	• Moving products around before shipping • Moving product from different workstations • Moving inventory around to take stock
Inventory	Excess materials on hand that the customers or employees do not need right now	• Purchasing excessive office supplies • Searching for computer files • Obsolete files or office equipment	• More finished products than demand • Extra materials taking up work space • Broken machines sitting around
Motion	Movement of people that does not add value	• Searching for files • Walking/reaching to get materials • Sifting through inventory to find what is needed	• Reaching to make adjustments • Walking to get a tool multiple times • Repetitive movements that could overwork/injure an employee
Extra Processing	Efforts that do not provide value from the customer's perspective	• Unnecessary signatures on a document • Making more copies of a document than will be needed • Saving multiple copies of the same file in multiple locations	• Adding unneeded value to a product • Using a more high-tech machine than needed • Extra steps to correct avoidable mistakes