The 8 Wastes

What is Waste?

Waste is any step or action in a process that is not required to complete a process (called “Non Value-Adding”) successfully. When Waste is removed, only the steps that are required (called “Value-Adding”) to deliver a satisfactory product or service to the customer remain in the process.

1. Talent - Employees that are not effectively engaged in the process
2. Inventory - Inventory or information that is sitting idle (not being processed).
3. Motion - People, information or equipment making unnecessary motion due to workspace layout, ergonomic issues or  searching for misplaced items.
4. Waiting - Waiting for the previous step in the process to complete.
5. Transportation - Transporting items or information that is not required to perform the process from one location to another.
6. Defects - Products or services that are out of specification that require resources to correct.
7. Overproduction - Producing too much of a product before it is ready to be sold.
8. Over-Processing - Performing any activity that is not necessary to produce a functioning product or service.

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