CourseWiki/Lean and Quality/Continuous Improvement

Eight Wastes: TIMWOODS

Recognize eight patterns of wasted effort in manufacturing and daily life.

Use TIMWOODS to name what you observe

Transportation, Inventory, Motion, Waiting, Overproduction, Over-processing, Defects and Skills form TIMWOODS. Describe the observed problem before choosing a remedy.

Eight-cell TIMWOODS grid: Transportation, Inventory, Motion, Waiting, Overproduction, Over-processing, Defects and Skills.

Compare shop examples with everyday examples

These are illustrative examples, not descriptions of a particular shop.

Transportation: unnecessary material movement: Shop: A part travels to a distant holding area and back.
Daily life: Moving stored boxes between rooms without using them.
Inventory: excess material or work: Shop: Unneeded blanks fill a rack.
Daily life: Buying food that expires before use.
Motion: unnecessary movement by people: Shop: An operator searches several drawers for a tool.
Daily life: Searching for misplaced keys.
Waiting: idle time before work can proceed: Shop: A prepared job waits for missing information.
Daily life: A completed form sits awaiting approval.
Overproduction: too much or too early: Shop: Extra parts are made without demand.
Daily life: Printing copies nobody requested.
Over-processing: work beyond requirements: Shop: A hidden face receives an unnecessary cosmetic finish.
Daily life: Entering the same information into duplicate lists.
Defects: work that fails requirements: Shop: An incorrect hole pattern requires a replacement part.
Daily life: Retyping a form because of incorrect entries.
Skills: unused talent: Shop: An experienced operator's improvement idea is never considered.
Daily life: Ignoring a team member's relevant skill when dividing work.

Distinguish similar wastes before proposing a change; Practice

Distinguish similar wastes before proposing a change

Transportation follows material; motion follows people. Overproduction creates unwanted output; inventory is the resulting excess stock. Several wastes can occur together.

Inspection is not automatically a defect, and every machine cycle is not automatically wasted time. Check Lean Value and Flow. Buffers may be needed for supply variation; removing them without understanding demand and reliability can interrupt delivery.

Use 5S Workplace Organization to address searching and Kaizen and Standard Work to test a change. Improve the system rather than blaming the person caught in it.

Practice waste classification

Appears in

DET 130 DET Lean Thinking and Improvement