Muda (無駄) focuses entirely on waste – anything that adds no value for the customer or the process. A useful way to identify this is through the well-known TIMWOODS model, which helps to make various forms of waste tangible:
Unnecessary movement of products, materials, or information within a process.
Too much stock that is not immediately needed. This leads to extra storage, costs, and the risk of obsolescence.
Unnecessary movements of people or machines. For example, walking back and forth or searching for items (often visualized with a spaghetti diagram).
Downtime in the process, for example, due to waiting for information, approval, or the next step.
Doing more than is necessary to achieve the desired result.
Overproduction
Errors or defects that need to be rectified later.
Not fully utilizing the knowledge and skills of employees.
Ask yourself: Which of these wastes do you recognize in your work environment?
The wastes muri and mura are a bit more nuanced and become evident, for example, within a value stream map.
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