What is a waste walk?
A waste walk is a foundation action in a lean manufacturing environment. It involves direct observation where operations leaders and teams go on a process walk to identify, quantify and eliminate the wastes of lean manufacturing. It incorporates the 7 traditional wastes, with a few new perspectives.
Waste, or “Muda”, is any activity that does not add value, such as producing more than the customer requires, wasting time searching for an item, or storing an excessive amount of raw material.
How do you know if an activity adds value? A value-adding activity must meet these criteria:
- The customer is willing to pay for the activity
- The activity must be done right the first time (Right-First-Time)
- The action must change the product or service in some way
What are the benefits of a waste walk?
The obvious benefit is that nonvalue-adding activities are identified and eliminated. But there are many other benefits.
A waste walk is a great opportunity for leadership to show their commitment and interest, a key success factor in any continuous improvement initiative. Leaders keep their teams motivated and encouraged when they demonstrate the necessary mindset.
Another benefit is employee engagement: The walk gets employees involved in the process of identifying and removing waste. They gain responsibility, ownership and a sense of pride, and will want to see the process improve further – they know what the key frustrations and issues are, and they often do not have the voice to escalate systemic problems.
When leaders and teams are on the shopfloor, “seeing” together, discussing and highlighting potential improvements, they can better collaborate and develop a mutual understanding for what is working and where the challenges are.
Download the how-to guide Driving employee engagement on the CI journey for top tips to keeping your people committed to process improvements.
14 steps to conducting a successful waste walk
By following the steps outlined below, you’ll be ensuring that the relevant people are well equipped to identify the wastes in the current work environment, and then conduct improvement projects that eliminate those wastes for the long term:
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Decide which area or process to walk (based on where an improvement opportunity may exist). |
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2
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Review the current process map and discuss any known problem areas. |
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Ensure the team that works in the area, team leaders, managers and executives understand:
(This waste walk guide gives more details of each of the above.) |
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Start the walk by explaining to the workers in the area that you are there to see how the process works. Reassure them that you are not there to evaluate their performance. |
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Get a basic understanding of the process by observing it as a group. You can then assign 1-2 people to each focus area. |
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Look out for any examples of waste and opportunities for improvement – take photos (if permitted) as evidence to support good and poor working practices. |
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View routine documentation, and observe and discuss the process with process owners. |
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Ask open-ended questions and uncover the truth:
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Focus on the process and not on monitoring a person or their performance. |
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Document the waste you see, thereby capturing the current situation. |
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Show your appreciation and thank the workers in the area before you leave. |
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Gather as a team, and analyze and prioritize the wastes using the impact effort matrix. It’s a good idea to prioritize wastes that have the potential to be quick-win projects. Fast gains will motivate the team to select and carry out the next improvement project. |
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Summarize all the findings in a standardized, waste walk template. Include details such as:
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Make recommendations to the senior leadership team based on your findings. |
The performance improvement project follows the waste walk. Build problem-solving skills within teams so that team members have the tools to eliminate the waste.
Always celebrate successes with everyone involved in the improvement project, but also acknowledge any failures.
Why do some waste walks fail?
The main reason why they sometimes fail is a lack of leadership commitment. If leaders aren’t involved in the waste walk, it sends a clear message that it’s not worth their time and therefore not important.
Another reason is a lack of individual and team commitment once the improvement project is underway. The project requires time, training and preparation, and it may seem easier to continue working in the same old way rather than changing and improving the process.
Waste walks should be linked to your business objectives, and shouldn’t be carried out in isolation. They should become a regular occurrence – how often depends on factors such as the size of the organization, how much waste has been identified in the organization, and the time and other resources available for improvement projects.
What is the difference between a gemba walk and a waste walk?
Although both the gemba walk and waste walk involve direct observation where leaders and the team walk around the point where work gets done, each type of walk differs slightly:
- A gemba walk is a regular, standard task for leaders in the organization to interact meaningfully with employees, observe actual processes, and offer support where needed
- The waste walk has the primary purpose of uncovering waste and improvement opportunities by analyzing every step in a process
The steps outlined in this blog will guide you in a successful approach to waste walks that deliver long-term process improvements. Waste walks are foundation actions, but they help move your organization towards comprehensive changes that uplift the entire organization.