Which waste is identified as the 'Mother of all wastes' in lean thinking?

Which waste is identified as the 'Mother of all wastes' in lean thinking?

• A. Transport
• B. Overprocessing
• C. Overproduction
• D. Motion

Answer: (C)

Overproduction is the waste that starts the cascade in lean thinking. When you produce more than what is needed, inventory builds up, tying up capital and creating storage and handling work. That surplus also tends to cause extra transport and motion as people move and move around the extra stock, can mask defects, and often leads to additional processing steps just to justify the output. The remedy is to create a pull system and produce only what is demanded, when it’s demanded. That directly reduces inventory and the downstream wastes it triggers. While transport, motion, and overprocessing are real wastes, they are largely consequences of producing more than required, so eliminating overproduction reduces them and improves flow.

Overproduction is the waste that starts the cascade in lean thinking. When you produce more than what is needed, inventory builds up, tying up capital and creating storage and handling work. That surplus also tends to cause extra transport and motion as people move and move around the extra stock, can mask defects, and often leads to additional processing steps just to justify the output. The remedy is to create a pull system and produce only what is demanded, when it’s demanded. That directly reduces inventory and the downstream wastes it triggers. While transport, motion, and overprocessing are real wastes, they are largely consequences of producing more than required, so eliminating overproduction reduces them and improves flow.