The 8 Wastes of Lean: Understanding the DOWNTIME Acronym

Whether you’re running a small business or managing a growing team, waste is your silent profit killer. It slows down processes, frustrates customers, and burns through time and resources. That’s why Lean principles are so valuable—they help you eliminate what doesn’t add value.

One of the core tools in Lean thinking is the DOWNTIME acronym, which identifies the eight types of waste commonly found in any business—especially in office, service, and transactional environments.

Let’s break down each type of waste and how you can spot and eliminate it in your business:

D – Defects

Defects are errors that require correction or rework. In a transactional setting, this could be inaccurate invoices, typos in emails, or wrong customer information.

Solution: Use checklists, templates, and double-checks to reduce the chances of errors. Invest in training and standard operating procedures.

O – Overproduction

Overproduction happens when you produce something before it’s needed or in greater quantity than required. This might be preparing extra reports, printing unused forms, or sending follow-up emails prematurely.

Solution: Align work with actual demand. Ask, “Is this necessary right now?”

W – Waiting

Waiting occurs when people or processes are idle. It might be waiting for approvals, system responses, customer replies, or missing information.

Solution: Shorten approval chains, use automation tools, and set clear response expectations to keep work moving.

N – Non-Utilized Talent

This waste happens when employees’ skills, knowledge, and creativity go untapped. It’s common in small businesses where people wear many hats, but not always the right ones.

Solution: Empower team members to offer suggestions, solve problems, and take on meaningful responsibilities.

T – Transportation

In a business process, this refers to the unnecessary movement of information, documents, or data. Think excessive email chains, multiple software handoffs, or moving paper forms between desks.

Solution: Digitize and centralize documentation. Reduce the number of handoffs in a process.

I – Inventory

Inventory waste includes unprocessed emails, backlogged orders, or queued-up tasks that haven’t been acted on. It clutters systems and hides inefficiencies.

Solution: Limit work-in-progress. Tackle small backlogs regularly and prioritize tasks that add value.

M – Motion

Motion refers to unnecessary physical or digital movements—like switching between spreadsheets, digging through files, or walking to a printer repeatedly.

Solution: Organize your workspace and streamline digital tools to reduce wasted motion.

E – Extra Processing

Extra processing is doing more work than the customer or process requires. Examples include redundant data entry, over-designed forms, or excessive formatting.

Fix it: Simplify workflows, standardize documents, and focus on what the end user actually needs.

Final Thoughts

Understanding the DOWNTIME wastes is a powerful step toward building a leaner, more agile small business. By regularly examining your processes through this lens, you’ll uncover hidden inefficiencies, free up time, and improve both team morale and customer satisfaction.

You don’t need to fix everything overnight. Start small—pick one process and ask, “Where is the waste?” Empower your team to look for improvements and make it a habit to ask: Is this adding value?

Want to train your team how to eliminate the 8 Types of Waste - contact us at info@pckpartners.com