The 7 wastes of Lean explained with SME examples

Lean is neither a fad nor jargon reserved for manufacturers. It is a pragmatic approach that helps you track down whatever slows a company down and weighs it down. At the heart of the method are the famous “7 wastes”. They exist in every organisation, small or large. The problem? We get so used to them that we stop seeing them. Let’s break them down.

The 7 wastes explained

1. Waiting

Time lost between two steps: an employee waiting for a document, a customer waiting for an answer, a machine standing idle. Every minute of waiting is a dead loss.

2. Unnecessary movement

Looking for a file, walking back and forth ten times to fetch equipment… These movements add no value and needlessly tire your teams.

3. Errors and rework

A badly filled-in quote, a wrong order, an incomplete email… Every error leads to corrections, apologies and sometimes lost customers.

4. Excess stock

Too many supplies, too many finished products, too many files open at once. Stock ties up time, space and money.

5. Overproduction

Doing more than needed: producing too early, preparing too many documents, anticipating needs that will never come. The result: wasted resources.

6. Unnecessary tasks

Reports nobody reads, double data entry, emails copied to 15 people… Many tasks consume energy without creating any real value.

7. Unused skills

When your employees’ talents are not used, that is huge waste. An assistant who knows digital tools but only does paperwork, a technician full of ideas who is never consulted… that is lost potential.

How to spot them day to day

The first step is to open your eyes. Ask yourself simple questions: What frustrates my teams? Which tasks create delays or duplicates? Where are we losing money without the customer seeing any benefit? Once the waste is identified, it can be reduced, often with simple actions.

A real-life example

In a small service company, the sales team lost 30 minutes a day looking for customer documents. By centralising information in a shared tool, they gained the equivalent of 10 working days a year. A small change, a big effect.

In conclusion

The 7 wastes are universal. They exist in every company, even the smallest. The good news? They can be spotted and reduced quickly, freeing up time, energy and profitability.