An introduction to the Lean concept on the 7 deadly forms of waste that can be found within a process.

1. Section & Lesson #:
Pre-Requisite Lessons:
Complex Tools + Clear Teaching = Powerful Results
7 Deadly Wastes
Lean – Lesson 5
An introduction to the Lean concept on the 7 deadly forms of waste that
can be found within a process.
None
Copyright © 2011-2019 by Matthew J. Hansen. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means
(electronic, mechanical, photographic, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without prior permission in writing by the author and/or publisher.

2. o The 7 Deadly Wastes describe the most common types of waste lurking in a process.
• A good rule of thumb is to start with these potential wastes when looking for opportunities:
1. TRANSPORTATION
 Movement of the product to an area that doesn’t add value (i.e., enhance it per the customer’s
requirements) and increases the risk of it being damaged (i.e., a future defect).
2. INVENTORY
 Raw materials, work-in-process (WIP) or finished goods that aren’t creating income (they represent
capital outlay without any immediate return).
3. MOTION
 Unnecessary movement of equipment or operator to work on the product (as opposed to Transportation
that is movement of the product itself) which increases risk to safety and capital assets.
4. WAITING
 Time that the product sits and waits to be processed or transported.
5. OVER-PRODUCTION (often considered the worst kind of waste)
 When more product is produced than what the customer requires (often stemming from batch
processes). It will usually generate and hide other forms of waste like inventory, waiting, etc.
6. OVER-PROCESSING
 Doing more work to a product than is required by the customer. This may also include using complex
tools, advanced equipment, or over-experienced operators than what is necessary for the product.
7. DEFECTS
 Any product not meeting customer requirements will cause re-work, rescheduling, delays, etc.
oSeveral other forms of waste have been suggested as the 8th deadly waste.
• These include unused human talent or having products/services not meeting customer specs.
7 Deadly Wastes (TIMWOOD)
Copyright © 2011-2019 by Matthew J. Hansen. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means (electronic, mechanical, photographic,
photocopying, recording or otherwise) without prior permission in writing by the author and/or publisher.
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3. Practical Application
o Identify at least three processes you interact with regularly.
• Review each of the 7 deadly wastes in light each of those processes.
 Which of the 7 deadly wastes do you think may exist in each process?
 How often do you see each of those deadly wastes occur within each process?
 What’s the potential improvement opportunity if you were to eliminate those deadly wastes?
Copyright © 2011-2019 by Matthew J. Hansen. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means (electronic, mechanical, photographic,
photocopying, recording or otherwise) without prior permission in writing by the author and/or publisher.
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