Contents: What is process wastes?
8 Types of Process wastes
- Defects
- Overproduction
- Waiting
- Transportation
- Inventory
- Motion
- Overprocessing
- Human potential
Other examples of process wastes.
What's next?
WHAT IS WASTE?
Waste in processes are a major source of inefficiencies that prevent the process to run smoothly.
Waste is “Muda” in Japanese. Waste / Muda is a major topic in Lean methods.
When we eliminate the wastes, we only have the steps of the process that are necessary and we call them – value-adding activities, with these we aim to deliver better quality of the product or a better service for the end customer.
The eight types of waste are relevant to any process be it technical, operational, manufacturing or related to services
THE EIGHT TYPES OF WASTES
1. DEFECTS
Definition:
Work that contains errors or lacks something necessary.
Examples
Information, products, and services that are inaccurate or incomplete
Errors that occur over and over
2. OVERPRODUCTION
Definition
Producing more materials or information than customer demand
Examples
Making more, earlier, or faster
Printing 20 copies of a report but only need 3 people to look at
3. WAITING
Definition
Idle time created when material, information, people or equipment is not ready.
Examples
Excessive Cycle Time
Delays due to needing a signature
4. TRANSPORTATION
Definition
Movement of materials or information that does not add value.
Examples
Unnecessary movement of materials around an organization
Carrying large quantities in and out of storage
5. INVENTORY
Definition
Excess material on hand that the customers or employees do not need tight now
Examples
Purchasing excess Inventory
Long Cycle Times for certain parts, or suppliers
6. MOTION
Definition
Movement of people or goods that does not add value.
Examples
Any movement of people that does not add value to the product or service
Inefficient placement of frequently used supplies, tools, etc.
7. OVERPROCESSING
Definition
Efforts that do not provide value from the customer’s perspective.
Examples
Re-work loops or work- arounds
Extra fields requiring unused information
8. HUMAN POTENTIAL
Definition
Not or underutilising the talent of employees.
Examples
Not utilizing people’s experience, skills knowledge, or creativity
Lack of empowerment
OTHER TYPES OF WASTES
Inefficient use of space
Excess energy /power consumption
Pollution
Inefficient use of capital (money, real estate, etc.)
Unevenness or variation in process, causing unpredictable quality (Mura)
Unnecessary complexity
Being unreasonable with people (Muri)
WHAT'S NEXT?
There are a few options for dealing with the waste you identified depending on the focus of your initiative and the specific situation:
Eliminate?
Simplify?
Streamline?
Minimize?
Define an Action plan for managing the Wastes!
Lean methodology will help you come up with a smoother and faster process!