MUDA is the Japanese term for waste. It can be defined as “anything that does not add value to your product or service”. There are 8 commonly defined types of MUDA:
1. Overproduction
2. Defective products or poor services
3. Inventory
4. Motion
5. Waiting
6. Underutilized people
7. Transportation and handling
8. Extra processing steps
There are some types of MUDA that can be quickly eliminated. Others require reviewing and changing processes. Involving those that do the work is critical to achieve lasting improvements.
