The Waste of Waiting

For More Course Materials, Ad Free Content, Handouts, Quizzes, Certification and Activities Click Here.

  Waiting is defined in one way as: "staying where one is or delaying until a particular time or something else happens".  In the case of the waste of waiting we can say it is any situation where a delay, idleness or a stop occurs.  There are generally three categories where waiting is related:

For More Course Materials, Ad Free Content, Handouts, Quizzes, Certification and Activities Click Here.

1. Inventory (Raw Materials, WIP or Finished Goods).
2. Machines.
3. Information - Can include inspection.  Is the part good or bad?
4. People.

This form of waste is oftentimes more difficult to see than one might assume.  Waiting is oftentimes masked or falls into the hidden factory with overproduction, overprossing and various forms of busy work.  For example somebody may be waiting on a tool or information.  So they re-organize an item, make extra of something else, read another message or the best case scenario, simply wait.   Why is this the best case you ask?  In the waste of waiting, when someone simply waits, the waste is visible which then makes it easier to identify and begin to reduce or eliminate.  
Examples:

1. Long setup time.
2. Machine downtimes.
3. Long changeover times.
4. Approval queues.
5. Unbalanced flow in processes.
6. Waiting for materials.
7. Waiting for information.
8. Waiting for equipment.
9. Waiting for, or, on people.

Get your infographic by clicking on the photo.

Solutions:

• Map the value stream to identify waiting points.
• Balance your Workload.
• Balance of Production or Heijunka.
• Determine the root causes of bottlenecks and remove.
• Establish a pull based environment where activities are driven in accordance with demand.
• Takt time.
• Use standard work.

Challenge:

• What types of waiting do you see on a daily basis? What is the impact of waiting in your life?  Share your thoughts in the comments section below and receive a coupon to one of Lean Strategies International LLC's courses.

Click here to learn more online!