Lean Government - Types of Waste

Types of Waste

Several types of non-value added activity, or waste (muda in Japanese), are common in government administrative and service processes. Lean methods focus on identifying and eliminating these wastes. The list below identifies common administrative process wastes.

Administrative Process Wastes with Examples

Inventory = Backlog of Work, Excess Materials or Information

Defects = Data Errors, Missing Info

Overproduction = Unneeded Reports, Doing Work Not Requested

Complexity = Unnecessary Process Steps

Waiting = Unnecessary Approval Cycles

Excess Motion = Trips to Remote Printer or Files

Moving Items = Report Routing, File Storage

Wastes in administrative and service processes can relate to (1) collection, use, and management of information, (2) design and implementation of work processes, and (3) the efficiency and effectiveness with which individuals work.

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