Waste is a concept used in project management to describe any activity, process, or resource that doesn’t add value to the project or help it reach its goals or objectives.
Waste can come in many forms, such as:
Overproduction
Overproduction happens when more work is done than is needed or when work is done too soon, leading to extra or redundant outputs that aren’t needed or used.
Waiting
This happens when work is held up because of bottlenecks or dependencies that slow down progress and cause delays and downtime.
Defects
Defects are any work that isn’t done right or needs to be redone, which wastes time, money, and resources.
Overprocessing
Overprocessing is when there are too many steps in a process that don’t add any value. This wastes time, effort, and resources.
Unused Talent
Unused talent: This means that resources like team members with specialized skills or knowledge are not being used to their full potential. This can lead to wasted potential and lower project performance.
By finding and getting rid of waste in a project, project managers can make the most of their resources, make the project more efficient, get better results, and keep costs and delays to a minimum.
Usage
Used for project planning, resource, and quality management and control
