The allocation of resources to that which provides no value.
Waste is the allocation of resources to anything which provides no value. It comes in many forms: wasted effort, energy waste, material waste, monetary waste, etc.
The main focus of LEAN Manufacturing is the elimination of waste.
Examples of Waste:
Manufacturing
- Overproduction
- Waiting
- Moving things from place to place (conveyance)
- Processing - doing something more complex than necessary
- Excess Stock
- Unnecessary motion of equipment/personnel
- Correction of mistakes
General
- Heating & cooling your empty house
- Throwing away food
- Time spent on things you don’t truly enjoy that aren’t providing other utility
- Working on something whose purpose isn’t well-aligned with the Mission or What’s Important Now