SC QUALITY GUILDEight wastes waste walk
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The eight wastes of lean, then a sheet to record what you see on a walk through the area, total the time lost and find the biggest waste.
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What lean means by waste
Lean divides the work in a process into what adds value (something the customer would pay for, done right the first time) and what does not. Most of what does not is waste, and lean names eight kinds. The first letters spell DOWNTIME: defects, overproduction, waiting, non-utilized talent, transportation, inventory, motion and extra-processing.
The original Toyota list had seven. Non-utilized talent was added later, and it is the one most often missed on a walk because it cannot be seen. Ask people what slows them down and what they would change.
Some work adds no value but is still needed
Inspection, regulatory paperwork and some testing add nothing the customer sees, but cannot simply be stopped. Lean calls this necessary non-value-added work: reduce it, but do not remove it without checking why it exists.
How to walk
- Go to where the work is done and watch it, rather than reviewing it in a meeting room.
- Write what you see, not what you conclude. "Operator walks 20 m to the crib" is an observation. "Poor layout" is a conclusion.
- Estimate the cost. A rough number of hours a week is enough to rank the wastes. The tool turns hours into dollars if you give it a labor rate.
- Take the people who do the work with you. They know where the waste is, and they will own the fixes.
Overproduction is the worst
Lean treats overproduction as the most harmful waste because it creates others: the extra parts need storing (inventory), moving (transportation) and finding (motion), and defects in them are found late.
On the Yellow Belt exam
Lean foundations and principles is topic I.B of the 2022 CSSYB Body of Knowledge, and lean tools are IV.A.1. Expect to be given a situation and asked which of the wastes it shows.
Common questions
What does DOWNTIME stand for in lean?
Defects, Overproduction, Waiting, Non-utilized talent, Transportation, Inventory, Motion and Extra processing. It is a memory aid for the eight wastes: activities the customer would not pay for.
Is DOWNTIME the same as TIMWOODS?
Yes. Both list the same eight wastes in a different order. The original seven come from the Toyota Production System; unused talent (skills) was added later as the eighth.
How do you do a waste walk?
Go to where the work is done, follow the product or the paperwork, and watch rather than judge. Record each waste you see, classify it, estimate the time or cost it takes, then total by type and pick the largest to work on first.
Which of the eight wastes is the worst?
Overproduction is usually called the worst, because making too much or too early creates others: inventory to store, transport to move it, waiting for space and hidden defects.