The 8 Wastes in Lean Project Management: Streamlining Your Processes

Project management should be as efficient as possible, and one of the key frameworks that we use here at The Bright Side Group to ensure this is Lean, a methodology that focuses on the minimization of waste and the maximization of value. Lean identifies eight types of waste that will slow down your projects and take away from their success. Working to eliminate and understand these wastes will help you achieve better outcomes while streamlining your processes and improving productivity. Let’s dive into the 8 wastes in Lean project management that you’ll want to learn how to manage effectively!

8 Wastes in Lean Project Management

1. Defects

Mistakes that require work, corrections, or the scrapping of work altogether are labeled as defects. These are most often caused by inadequate processes, lack of quality control measures, or unclear instructions. Defects may manifest in project management as miscommunication or errors in deliverables. Use tools like checklists and thorough reviews, performing regular testing to catch defects early on and establish clear quality standards from the beginning.

2. Overproduction

Producing more than what is necessary or way too far in advance is another major waste. If you’re conducting unnecessary meetings, producing more deliverables than required, or preparing too many reports, take a step back and instead focus on what is really needed for each phase of your project. Conduct a needs assessment right away and avoid overpreparing by ensuring that everything you produce has a defined purpose.

3. Waiting

Waiting waste involves things like resource allocation, approvals, and project handoffs. Pauses like this can disrupt your momentum and result in unnecessary downtime. Improve your collaboration between teams and set clear timelines so everyone is on the same page. Lean on automated technology to minimize your downtime and simplify parts of your workflow. You should also encourage faster decision-making so you can reduce bottlenecks.

4. Non-Utilized Talent

When your team members’ skills and abilities aren’t being fully leveraged, you’ll notice this waste. This is common when folks are either not given opportunities to contribute to their full abilities or are overqualified for a task. Assign tasks to your team members based on their unique strengths and skill sets. Empower each person to take initiative and make decisions that will align with their expertise.

5. Transportation

When we’re discussing physical product management, transportation refers to the unnecessary movement of products or materials, but if we’re discussing a specific project within an organization or office, this waste may refer to irrelevant data sharing, redundant emails, or misrouted communications (in other words: the unnecessary movement of information). It’s super key to optimize your communication methods and use a project management software to keep your communications centralized and relevant, ensuring that each team member receives only the information that they themselves need.

6. Inventory

Materials that aren’t immediately needed, or excess documentation or data are forms of inventory waste, perhaps involving excessive data storage that slows down your systems, or outdated documentation. Consider implementing just-in-time (JIT) inventory principles and store only the data and documents necessary for each phase of your projects, conducting regular cleanups of outdated materials.

7. Motion

Unnecessary actions or movements that don’t add value to a project are classified as motion waste. This could be team members searching for information, navigating complex software, or performing excessive manual data entry. This is why it’s super important to optimize your digital workspace and the tools you use on the regular. Streamline your tasks to reduce unnecessary steps and always make information easy to find! Also, implement automation where possible, eliminating repetitive tasks.

8. Excess Processing

Is more work being done than necessary to achieve a desired result? You may be experiencing excess processing! If you’re looking for extra steps to add into a workflow or producing a report that is more detailed than your stakeholders require, simplify your processes to focus on delivering only the essentials. Review your workflows regularly to ensure they are lean, and avoid adding extra steps that won’t directly contribute to project goals.

By learning to identify and reduce these eight types of waste in lean project management, you will cultivate a more productive, efficient, and streamlined team and project management processes overall. At The Bright Side Group, we help teams organize workflows, cut inefficiencies, and achieve success! If you’re ready to tackle the eight wastes and start reworking your processes to become leaner and more effective, consider signing up for our Lean Six Sigma training coming up in 2025! Reach out to Noemi if you have any questions.