Muda

MUDA

Process speed or the efficient flow of a process is the essence of Lean Management. Anything which impedes this speed  is called Muda. Muda is the Japanese word for waste and describes all nonvalue-adding activities within a process.

Lean Management is the method which creates an efficient process flow by eliminating nonvalue-adding activities (Muda).

THE 7 TYPES OF WASTE

There are 7 types of nonvalue-adding activities recognized in the Lean Management theory:

• Transportation
• Inventory
• Motion
• Wait
• Over processing
• Over production (too much or too soon)
• Defects

A process without waste is rare. Therefore organizations, which work according to the Lean Management methodology, focus on reducing waste to a pre-defined and achievable optimum.