Understanding the 7 wastes of lean in effective change management

What are the 7 wastes of lean and why do they matter in change management

Understanding Lean’s Seven Wastes in Change Initiatives

Lean management, originally rooted in manufacturing, focuses on eliminating waste to improve efficiency and deliver more value to the customer. The concept of waste in lean is not limited to physical products or production lines. In change management, these same principles can be applied to processes, communication, and even software development. Recognizing and addressing the seven wastes of lean is crucial for any organization aiming for continuous improvement and effective transformation.

• Overproduction: Producing more than needed or before it is required. In change management, this can mean rolling out new processes or tools before teams are ready, leading to confusion and resistance.
• Waiting: Time lost when people or processes are idle, waiting for information, approvals, or resources. Waiting waste often delays project milestones and can demotivate teams.
• Transport: Unnecessary movement of materials, products, or information. In a change context, this could be redundant meetings or excessive documentation that does not add value.
• Extra Processing: Doing more work than necessary, such as duplicating reports or adding unnecessary steps to a process. This not only wastes time but can also introduce errors.
• Inventory: Excess inventory refers to having more materials, data, or unfinished work than needed. In change management, this could be unused training materials or outdated process documents.
• Motion: Unnecessary movement by people, such as searching for information or switching between tasks. Motion waste can be subtle but adds up over time, especially in large transformation projects.
• Defects: Errors or mistakes that require rework. In change initiatives, defects can appear as miscommunications, incorrect data, or failed process changes, all of which impact quality and safety.

Understanding these types of waste helps organizations perform root analysis and process improvement, whether in manufacturing, software development, or service delivery. By identifying and eliminating waste, change leaders can streamline their production process, reduce unnecessary movement, and focus on delivering value. This approach not only improves efficiency but also supports a culture of continuous improvement and quality safety.

Applying lean management principles to change management is not just about cutting costs. It’s about creating a more agile, responsive, and inclusive organization. For practical insights on fostering inclusion in everyday change management, explore this practical DEI tip for change management.

Identifying waste in your change management process

Spotting Inefficiencies in Change Management Workflows

Recognizing waste in your change management process is essential for driving improvement and achieving lean management goals. Waste, as defined in lean manufacturing, refers to any activity or resource that does not add value to the customer or the organization. In change management, these inefficiencies can slow down transformation, increase costs, and reduce team morale.

• Overproduction: Creating more deliverables, reports, or communications than needed can overwhelm stakeholders and create confusion. This is a common issue in both manufacturing and software development projects.
• Waiting: Delays in decision-making, approvals, or resource allocation cause waiting waste. These bottlenecks often result in lost time and momentum, making it harder to sustain continuous improvement.
• Unnecessary Motion: Excess movement, whether physical or digital, such as searching for information or switching between tools, adds no value and drains productivity.
• Inventory Waste: Holding onto excess inventory, like outdated documentation or unused training materials, ties up resources and can lead to confusion during the change process.
• Defects: Errors in communication, documentation, or process steps lead to rework and can undermine trust in the change initiative.
• Extra Processing: Performing more work than required, such as redundant approvals or unnecessary meetings, increases workload without benefiting the customer or the end product.
• Transportation: Unnecessary movement of materials, data, or people between locations or systems can slow down the production process and introduce risks.

To effectively identify these wastes, many organizations use tools like value stream mapping and root analysis. These methods help visualize the entire process, making it easier to spot where time, materials, or effort are being lost. For example, mapping out the steps in a change initiative can reveal hidden waiting times or excess inventory that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Continuous improvement in change management relies on regularly reviewing processes and engaging the team to spot and eliminate waste. By focusing on the types of waste that are most common in your environment, you can prioritize actions that will have the biggest impact on quality, safety, and efficiency.

For a deeper look at how process analysis tools can support your efforts, explore this resource on understanding the impact of GR&R study in change management.

Strategies to reduce overproduction during change

Understanding the Impact of Overproduction in Change Initiatives

Overproduction is one of the most critical wastes in lean management, especially during change management processes. In manufacturing, overproduction means making more products than needed, leading to excess inventory and wasted materials. In change management, overproduction often shows up as unnecessary reports, duplicated communications, or rolling out changes before teams are ready. This not only wastes time and resources but can also create confusion and resistance among employees.

Recognizing Overproduction in Your Change Process

Overproduction waste can be subtle in non-manufacturing environments. Common signs include:

• Developing more documentation than the customer or team requires
• Launching new processes or tools before the organization is prepared
• Producing excess training materials that go unused
• Duplicating efforts across different teams or departments

Identifying these types of waste early is essential for effective process improvement and continuous improvement. Using tools like value stream mapping can help visualize the flow of work and highlight areas where overproduction occurs.

Practical Steps to Reduce Overproduction

• Align production with demand: Only create deliverables when there is a clear need from the customer or end user. This helps eliminate waste and reduces inventory waste.
• Standardize processes: Establish clear guidelines for what needs to be produced and when. This reduces unnecessary movement and motion waste by ensuring everyone works towards the same goals.
• Use feedback loops: Regularly check with stakeholders to confirm what is truly needed. This prevents the creation of unwanted products or processes.
• Embrace lean software development: In digital projects, adopt agile practices to deliver just enough, just in time, and avoid overproduction.

Reducing overproduction is not just about cutting costs. It’s about improving quality, safety, and engagement by focusing on what truly adds value. By eliminating unnecessary work, teams can dedicate more energy to meaningful improvement and innovation.

For more on how the right communication can support lean change management, check out this guide on choosing the right words to describe leadership in change management.

Minimizing waiting time and delays in transformation projects

Understanding the Impact of Waiting Waste in Change Initiatives

In lean management, waiting is a critical type of waste that can quietly erode the effectiveness of any change management process. Waiting waste occurs when people, information, materials, or products are idle, causing delays in the workflow. In manufacturing, this might look like machines standing still due to missing parts. In change management, it often appears as teams waiting for decisions, approvals, or resources before they can move forward.

Common Causes of Delays in Change Projects

Delays and waiting time can stem from several sources:

• Unclear communication or lack of timely feedback
• Bottlenecks in decision-making processes
• Excess inventory of tasks or information waiting for action
• Dependencies on other teams or external partners
• Software development cycles that are not aligned with project milestones

These issues can lead to lost time, increased costs, and frustration among team members. Over time, waiting waste can also impact customer satisfaction and the overall quality and safety of the final product or service.

Practical Steps to Minimize Waiting Waste

Reducing waiting time requires a proactive approach to process improvement. Here are some strategies that can help eliminate waste and support continuous improvement:

• Map out your current processes using stream mapping to identify where delays occur
• Implement root analysis to uncover the underlying causes of bottlenecks
• Standardize workflows to reduce unnecessary movement and motion waste
• Align production process steps to minimize handoffs and dependencies
• Use lean manufacturing principles to manage inventory waste and avoid excess inventory of tasks
• Set clear expectations for response times and accountability

By focusing on these areas, organizations can make significant progress in eliminating waiting waste. This not only speeds up the change process but also improves quality, safety, and team engagement. Continuous improvement in this area is essential for a lean, efficient, and responsive change management system.

Avoiding unnecessary motion and extra processing in change activities

Spotting Motion and Extra Processing in Change Initiatives

In the context of lean management, motion waste and extra processing are two types of waste that often go unnoticed in change management projects. These wastes lean heavily on time, resources, and energy, reducing the overall effectiveness of your improvement efforts. Understanding how they show up in your processes is key to eliminating waste and driving continuous improvement.

• Motion waste refers to unnecessary movement of people, materials, or information. In change management, this could mean team members searching for documents, switching between multiple software tools, or attending redundant meetings. Each extra step adds up, leading to lost time and reduced productivity.
• Extra processing happens when more work is done than what is required by the customer or the process. Examples include creating overly detailed reports, duplicating data entry, or adding unnecessary approval steps. These actions do not add value to the final product or outcome.

Common Triggers of Motion and Extra Processing

Motion and extra processing often stem from unclear processes, lack of standardization, or outdated work habits. In both manufacturing and software development, these wastes can be traced back to:

• Poorly designed workflows that require excess movement or handoffs
• Inventory waste caused by storing unnecessary materials or information
• Waiting waste, where delays prompt people to multitask or repeat work
• Defects in communication, leading to rework or clarification loops

Practical Steps to Eliminate Motion and Extra Processing

To reduce these wastes in your change management process, consider these strategies:

• Map your current processes using stream mapping to visualize unnecessary movement and steps
• Standardize documentation and communication channels to minimize excess inventory and motion
• Apply root analysis to identify why extra processing occurs and address the underlying causes
• Automate repetitive tasks where possible, especially in digital or software development environments
• Train your team to recognize and report motion waste and extra processing as part of your continuous improvement culture

By focusing on these areas, you can streamline your production process, improve quality safety, and better meet customer needs. Reducing waste is not a one-time effort but an ongoing commitment to process improvement and lean management principles.

Engaging your team to sustain lean practices during change

Building a Culture of Continuous Improvement

Engaging your team is essential for sustaining lean practices and eliminating waste in change management. When everyone understands the value of reducing waste—whether it’s overproduction, waiting, unnecessary motion, or excess inventory—your organization is more likely to achieve lasting process improvement. Lean management is not just about tools; it’s about people working together to identify and address the root causes of inefficiency.

• Encourage open communication: Create channels for team members to share observations about motion waste, waiting waste, or other inefficiencies in the production process. This helps surface issues that might otherwise go unnoticed.
• Empower problem-solving: Train your team in lean manufacturing concepts like value stream mapping and root analysis. When employees can spot types of waste and suggest solutions, you foster a proactive mindset toward improvement.
• Recognize and reward contributions: Acknowledge those who help eliminate waste or streamline processes. Celebrating small wins keeps momentum high and reinforces the importance of continuous improvement.
• Promote cross-functional collaboration: Waste often hides in handoffs between departments or teams. By encouraging collaboration, you can reduce unnecessary movement, inventory waste, and defects in both manufacturing and software development environments.
• Integrate lean into daily work: Make lean practices part of routine activities, not just special projects. Regularly review processes for improvement opportunities, whether in production, customer service, or management workflows.

Ultimately, sustaining lean practices requires ongoing commitment from leadership and active participation from every team member. By embedding lean thinking into your culture, you can continuously eliminate waste, improve quality and safety, and deliver better products and services to your customers.