In short: Eliminate waste.
Lean Away From Waste
The heart of The Toyota Way is shrinking non-value-add activity (aka ‘Waste’).
LEAN process improvement is all about shrinking non-value-add activity. In the business context that means Business Value. But the same concept can be applied to writing. Lean sentences contain only meaningful words. Distill it down.
Traditional process improvement is focused on finding local efficiencies. This involves driving decision making around a problem to those closest to the problem, and empowering them to make the right decisions.
Waste Categories
- Over-production
- Waiting
- Unnecessary transport of material
- Over (or incorrect) processing
- Excess inventory
- Defects
- Wasted creativity and ideas