The seven pillars of waste
Originally identified by Shigeo Shingo as part of the Toyota Production System, these are now accepted as the most common forms of waste in a business.
| Waste | Description |
| Over-production | Producing too much or too soon, resulting in poor flow of information or goods and excess inventory |
| Defects | Frequent errors in paperwork, product or service quality problems, or poor delivery performance |
| Unnecessary inventory | Excessive storage and delay of information or products, resulting in excessive cost and poor customer service |
| Inappropriate processing | Going about work processes using the wrong set of tools, procedures or systems, often when a simpler approach may be more effective |
| Excessive transportation | Excessive movement of people, materials, goods, information or equipment resulting in wasted time, effort and additional cost; often a totally ignored and under-estimated issue |
| Waiting | Long periods of inactivity for people, information, materials, goods and equipment, resulting in poor flow and long lead times |
| Unnecessary motion | Poor job design resulting in excessive movement of the body such as bending and stretching, together with poor workplace organisation ignoring basic ergonomic principles. Such problems increase fatigue, reducing output and increasing quality problems |