Name That Waste
What is Inventory?
“Storing more raw materials than you need at the moment.”
What is Set in Order?
“This 5S step ensures items are in the correct place for easy access.”
What is an example of 5S? (Set in Order / Standardize)
“A hospital implements color-coded instrument trays to make it obvious when something is out of place.”
What is Kaizen?
“The Japanese term for continuous improvement.”
What is Set in Order or Standardize?
“Posting laminated photos on a tool board to show where each tool goes is an example of this 5S step.”
What is Motion?
“Unnecessary movement by people, such as reaching across a large work area repeatedly.”
What is Sort?
“In Japanese, it’s referred to as ‘Seiri’—removing unnecessary items from the workspace.”
What is reducing Motion or Transportation waste?
“A car manufacturer moves parts bins closer to workers to reduce time walking back and forth.”
What are Kanban cards (or Kanbans)?
“These visual signals help control the flow or production of products in a pull system.”
What is Shine?
“Scheduling a daily 10-minute cleanup break to clear away debris is an example of this step.”
What is Overproduction?
“Producing more units than the customer demands or earlier than needed.”
What is Sustain?
“The final ‘S’ that involves maintaining improvements and turning them into a habit.”
What is eliminating Waiting / Transportation waste?
An office sets up a digital document sharing system to eliminate physical handoff and waiting for signatures.”
“A method of mapping out the current state of a process to identify improvement areas.”
What is Value Stream Mapping?
What is Sort?
“Creating a labeled ‘red tag area’ to place unused items before disposal or relocation.”
What is Defects?
“Paperwork errors that need fixing before the item can move on.”
What is Standardize?
This 5S step is sometimes known as ‘Standardize’ and uses procedures to maintain the first 3S.”
What is reducing Overproduction / Inventory waste?
“A warehouse uses a Kanban system to produce only what is needed when it's needed.”
What is SMED (Single-Minute Exchange of Die)?
“A manufacturing philosophy that aims to reduce set-up times to under 10 minutes, often associated with quick changeovers.”
What is Standardize?
“Documenting a standardized cleaning checklist and placing it at each workstation.”
What is Waiting?
“Waiting for the next step in a process, caused by delays or inconsistent workflows.”
What is Shine?
“In Japanese, it’s ‘Seiso’—keeping the workplace clean and tidy.”
What is avoiding Non-Utilized Talent waste (using people’s creativity)?
“A company runs daily improvement huddles, tapping into each worker’s suggestions to enhance processes.”
What is Just-in-Time (JIT)?
“The term referring to an industrial practice of building only the needed quantity at the time it’s needed.”
What is Sustain?
“Having quarterly audits with a scoring system to ensure that 5S improvements are being kept.”