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1. Remove Waste & Create Flow
The ultimate lean Six Sigma target is the total elimination of
waste, known as ‘Muda’.
A “D O W N T I M E” Syndrome by Dr Aneek Gupta
Waste is anything that adds cost or time without adding value.
Reducing waste means becoming more profitable and more responsive to customer demands.
Actions that change the nature or shape of the product or service are value-adding, and the
customer will pay for them. Customers won’t pay for wasteful efforts.
D – Defects “The Unnecessary Movement of Materials or Documentation"
Producing parts, products, or services that are defective results in scrap and rework; it also
wastes supplies and leads to customer dissatisfaction.
Examples are: Typing errors in a report, wrong price on a quotation, broken web links, lost
records, reference data errors.
O - Over Production “Producing More Than Required"
A process that continues when its output is not required causes excess inventory, and so leads
to all the other wastes.
Over-production is generally regarded as the worst type of waste.
Examples are; Filling in more fields on a form that are needed, entering the same data twice,
producing reports no one needs, photo copying 12 sets of training material for 10 delegates.
W – Waiting "Defer an Action for a Time Until an Event Occurs"
DrAneekGupta

2. Waiting constricts smooth flow; it interrupts the work rhythm and is often hidden by over-
production. The time could be better spent on less wasteful activities.
Examples are; Delays in getting approvals, waiting for safety equipment or training, time spent
waiting for your computer to log on or to change between platforms or data bases.
N - Not Utilizing Talent "Put the Right Person in the Right Role"
We all perform to our best when we are right for the job and the job is right for us.
Missing or ignoring hidden skills results in a demoralised worker. Examples include: managers
who think they know the answer and ignore the employee; "Empower the Workforce"
T – Transport "The Unnecessary Movement of Materials or Documentation"
Transportation adds time to the process without increasing value, and creates an opportunity
for damage to occur.
In the back office it is the physical movement of data rather than people.
i.e. Sending forms in a van from Andheri to Dadar for signature or approval.
I – Inventory “Stock That is Not Required for Customer Orders"
Get rid of 'just in case inventory'; it ties up cash and requires additional storage facilities.
Examples include: Items being held requiring action, open case files, unread emails, requests
or referrals for service, excess office supplies, unused records in a database, unused desks.
M – Motion "Stock That is Not Required for Customer Orders"
Motion takes time and adds no value. Work spaces that are not ergonomic lead to a waste of
motion, such as stretching, twisting, bending etc.
This kind of activity can be frustrating for the worker and can lead to injuries and time off
work, have everything at hand to make the job easy.
Examples; Movement of paperwork between employees, having to go upstairs to visit co
workers, searching for files & forms, walking across the building to the nearest printer.
E - Excess Processing “Doing More Than Needed to meet the Customer Requirements"
Over-processing is to do more than is necessary i.e. completing two or three inspections and
duplicating reports on notice-boards. "Do only what is needed".
Examples are; filling in duplicate forms, sending an email onto someone, ‘Hi, can you send this
to Steve…’ no, you send it!
Regards
Dr Aneek Gupta
DrAneekGupta