One of the keys to lean implementation is the ability to identify and eliminate waste in your organization. There are many different forms of waste and they exist in varying degrees in every process. The wastes have been categorized as:
- Waiting
- Overproduction
- Rework
- Motion
- Transportation
- Processing
- Inventory
- Intellect
Within every organizational process, there are many opportunities for wasted time, people, equipment, space, steps, etc. There are many chances to make mistakes that then require the additional costs of fixing them.
Waste and inefficiency are everywhere, no matter if your organization is large or small. Because of this everything we do can be continuously improved. As someone once said, “Improvement isn’t optional, it’s necessary for survival.”