Your First Waste Elimination Project: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide
Ready to stop just reading about waste and actually eliminate some? This step-by-step guide walks you through your first waste elimination project from start to finish. We'll use a real example (expense report processing) so you can see exactly how to choose a target, map the process, identify waste, design improvements, and measure results. No theory, no fluff. Just a practical roadmap you can follow today to eliminate your first waste and build momentum for bigger improvements.
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You understand what operational waste is. You can recognise the eight types. You've probably identified dozens of examples in your own workplace. Now comes the critical question: what do you actually do about it?
This is where most people get stuck. They see the waste clearly. They understand it's costing time and money. They genuinely want to fix it. But they don't know where to start or how to proceed systematically. So they do nothing, and the waste continues.
This guide eliminates that barrier. We're going to walk through a complete waste elimination project from beginning to end. Not in abstract theory, but with a real, concrete example you can follow step by step. By the time you finish reading, you'll know exactly how to eliminate your first waste, and you'll have the confidence to tackle increasingly complex improvements.
Why Your First Project Matters So Much
Your first waste elimination project sets the tone for everything that follows. Succeed here, and you'll build confidence, credibility, and momentum. You'll prove to yourself (and skeptical colleagues) that waste elimination actually works. You'll develop skills you can apply to bigger challenges. You'll create enthusiasm for finding and fixing more waste.
Fail here, and the opposite happens. You'll lose confidence. Skeptics will say "I told you so." You'll be less likely to try again. The waste will remain, and improvement efforts will stall.
That's why this guide focuses obsessively on helping you succeed with your first project. We're not going to aim for the biggest waste in your organisation or the most impressive results. We're going to choose a target you can actually accomplish, follow a process that minimises risk, and build a foundation for future success.
The Example We'll Follow
Throughout this guide, we'll use one consistent example: eliminating waste from the expense report process. From the moment an employee submits expenses until they receive reimbursement.
Why this example? Because nearly every organisation has an expense process, and it's almost always wasteful. Employees walk forms around for signatures. Managers let approvals sit in their inbox for days. Finance departments manually enter data that's already written on forms. Reimbursements take weeks when they could take days. Everyone involved finds the process frustrating, yet it persists year after year.
You'll see exactly how to map this process, identify six different types of waste within it, prioritise which wastes to tackle first, design an improved process, test changes on a small scale, roll out improvements organisation-wide, and measure the dramatic results.
Even if your organisation doesn't process expense reports, the principles and steps apply to any wasteful process. Just substitute your target process for the expense example, and follow the same methodology.
What Makes This Guide Different
Most process improvement guides fall into one of two traps. Either they're too theoretical (lots of frameworks and models but no practical guidance on actually doing anything), or they're too specific (detailed instructions for one particular industry or process that don't transfer elsewhere).
This guide avoids both traps. It's intensely practical (you'll follow concrete steps with clear deliverables at each stage) and universally applicable (the methodology works for any process in any industry).
We'll also address the common pitfalls that trip up beginners. Analysis paralysis. Blaming people instead of processes. Tackling too much at once. Forgetting to standardise improvements. You'll learn not just what to do, but what mistakes to avoid along the way.
The Nine Steps You'll Master
Here's the roadmap we'll follow:
Step 1: Choose Your Target Process (pick something simple, familiar, and genuinely wasteful)
Step 2: Map the Current Process (document exactly how it works today, including all the wasteful parts)
Step 3: Identify Waste in the Process (categorise waste using the eight types you've learned)
Step 4: Prioritise Waste to Eliminate (you can't fix everything at once, so choose wisely)
Step 5: Design the Improved Process (how will it work without the waste?)
Step 6: Test on a Small Scale (pilot before rolling out organisation-wide)
Step 7: Implement and Monitor (roll out to everyone and track results)
Step 8: Standardise and Sustain (prevent backsliding to old wasteful habits)
Step 9: Celebrate and Share Success (build momentum for future improvements)
Each step includes clear instructions, specific deliverables, and examples from our expense report case study. You'll see not just what to do, but how to do it and what the results look like.
What You'll Need to Get Started
The beauty of waste elimination is that it requires almost nothing to begin. You don't need budget approval (you're stopping wasteful activities, not funding new ones). You don't need special software or tools (pen and paper work fine for mapping processes). You don't need extensive training (this guide provides everything you need). You don't need executive sponsorship (start with processes you have authority to change).
What you do need: a few hours of time to work through the steps, access to observe or participate in the process you're improving, willingness to involve the people who actually do the work, courage to change how things have "always been done," and persistence to see the project through to completion.
That's it. If you have those five things, you can eliminate your first waste starting today.
The Results You Can Expect
Let's be realistic about what your first project will achieve. You're not going to transform your entire organisation overnight. You're not going to save millions of dollars. You're not going to revolutionise your industry.
What you will do is eliminate one specific waste from one specific process. And that will produce measurable, meaningful results.
Typical first project outcomes include 30 to 50 percent reduction in process cycle time, 20 to 40 percent reduction in effort required, significant reduction in frustration for everyone involved, enthusiasm for finding and fixing more waste, and confidence to tackle progressively larger projects.
In our expense report example, real organisations have achieved reimbursement time reduced from 21 days to 4 days, finance processing time cut from 30 minutes per report to 6 minutes, employee submission time reduced from 25 minutes to 12 minutes, error rates dropping from 15 percent to 3 percent, and satisfaction scores improving from 3.2 out of 5 to 4.6 out of 5.
Those are real results from real organisations following this exact methodology. Your results will vary based on your specific situation, but the methodology produces consistent improvements.
Two Ways to Use This Guide
You can use this guide in two different ways, depending on your situation.
Option 1: Follow along with our expense report example. If your organisation has an expense process (most do), you can literally follow the example step by step. Map your current expense process, identify the waste using our categories as a template, design improvements similar to what we describe, and implement them following our testing and rollout approach.
Option 2: Apply the methodology to your own target process. If you want to tackle a different process, use the expense report example as a template. Substitute your process for ours, but follow the same nine steps in the same order. The methodology transfers perfectly to any wasteful process.
Either way works. Choose whichever makes more sense for your situation.
A Word About Patience and Persistence
Waste elimination is simple, but that doesn't mean it's always easy. You'll encounter obstacles. People will resist changes to familiar processes. Technical problems will arise during testing. Initial results might be less dramatic than you hoped. That's all normal and expected.
The difference between people who successfully eliminate waste and people who give up isn't talent or resources. It's persistence. The willingness to work through obstacles, adjust the approach when needed, and see the project through to completion.
This guide will help you avoid many common problems, but it can't eliminate all challenges. When you hit an obstacle (and you will), refer back to the relevant section, adjust your approach, and keep moving forward. Every successful waste elimination project encountered problems along the way. The key is solving them, not avoiding them.
Ready to Begin?
You've spent enough time reading about waste elimination. Now it's time to actually eliminate some waste. The next few hours will transform you from someone who understands waste to someone who has successfully eliminated it. That's not a small distinction. It's the difference between theory and practice, between knowing and doing.
Your organisation has waste right now. Processes that frustrate people, consume resources, and produce no value. You have the power to change that, starting today.
Let's begin with Step 1: choosing your target process.
Step 1: Choose Your Target Process
Start with something simple, familiar, and genuinely wasteful. Good beginner choices:
Criteria:
- Process you understand well
- Clear waste symptoms (delays, errors, frustration)
- Affects you or your immediate team
- Doesn't require executive approval to change
Our Example: "Processing Employee Expense Reports" from submission to reimbursement.
Why It's Good: Most organisations have expense processes. They're often wasteful. You can observe the complete process. Improvements benefit everyone.
Step 2: Map the Current Process
Document exactly how the process works today, including all the wasteful parts. Don't skip this—you need to understand reality before improving it.
Our Example Current Process:
- Employee fills out paper expense form
- Employee attaches paper receipts
- Employee walks to manager's office to get signature
- Manager reviews and signs (or rejects and returns)
- Employee walks to finance office to submit
- Finance admin enters data into accounting system
- Finance admin makes copies of everything
- Finance admin files originals
- Finance manager reviews and approves
- Accounts payable processes reimbursement
- Employee receives payment (2-4 weeks later)
Already you can probably spot waste without formal analysis.
Step 3: Identify Waste in the Process
Go through the process step-by-step, categorising waste using the eight types.
Our Example Waste Analysis:
Motion Waste:
- Walking to manager's office (Step 3)
- Walking to finance office (Step 5)
Waiting Waste:
- Waiting for manager availability (Step 4)
- Waiting for finance processing (Steps 6-10)
- 2-4 week reimbursement delay
Extra Processing:
- Manual data entry duplicating information already on forms (Step 6)
- Making copies (Step 7)
- Filing paper originals (Step 8)
- Multiple approval layers (manager + finance manager)
Defects:
- Rejected reports requiring resubmission (incomplete forms, missing receipts)
- Data entry errors requiring correction
Transportation:
- Physical forms moving between offices
Inventory:
- Stacks of expense reports awaiting processing
Step 4: Prioritise Waste to Eliminate
You can't fix everything at once. Prioritise based on:
- Impact (biggest time/cost savings)
- Ease of implementation
- Your authority to change it
Our Example Priorities:
High Impact + Easy:
- Implement online expense submission (eliminates motion, transportation, data entry, copying, filing)
- Reduce approval layers (eliminate duplicate approvals)
High Impact + Harder: 3. Automate approval routing (reduces waiting) 4. Direct deposit reimbursement (speeds payment)
Start with #1: Online submission eliminates multiple waste types with moderate implementation effort.
Step 5: Design the Improved Process
How will the process work without the waste? Be specific about what changes.
Our Example Improved Process:
- Employee enters expenses into online system with digital receipts attached
- System automatically routes to manager for electronic approval
- Manager approves or rejects with one click (receives email notification)
- Approved expenses automatically appear in finance dashboard
- Finance reviews flagged exceptions only (not every report)
- Payment processes automatically to employee's bank account
- System archives everything digitally
Waste Eliminated:
- Motion: No more office walking
- Waiting: Automated routing faster than physical handoffs
- Extra Processing: No manual data entry, no copying, no filing
- Transportation: No physical movement of forms
- Defects: System validation reduces errors
Expected Results:
- Reimbursement time: 2-4 weeks → 3-5 days
- Finance processing time: 30 minutes per report → 5 minutes
- Employee submission time: 25 minutes → 10 minutes
Step 6: Test on a Small Scale
Don't roll out organisation-wide immediately. Test with a small group first.
Our Example Test:
- Select one department (10 people) to pilot online system
- Run parallel with old process for one month
- Gather feedback from employees, managers, and finance
- Measure processing times and error rates
- Identify problems before full rollout
What to Measure:
- Submission time per report
- Approval time
- Processing time
- Error rates
- User satisfaction
- Total cycle time from submission to payment
Step 7: Implement and Monitor
After successful testing, roll out to everyone. Monitor results to ensure waste stays eliminated.
Our Example Implementation:
- Train all employees on new system (1-hour session + reference guide)
- Train managers on electronic approval
- Transition finance to new workflow
- Phase out paper process over two weeks
- Monitor metrics monthly
- Address issues promptly
Ongoing Monitoring:
- Track average cycle time monthly
- Measure user satisfaction quarterly
- Review error rates
- Identify new improvement opportunities
Step 8: Standardise and Sustain
Document the new process. Make it the standard way of working. Prevent backsliding to old wasteful habits.
Our Example Standardisation:
- Update expense policy reflecting new process
- Create quick reference guides
- Include in new employee onboarding
- Designate process owner responsible for maintaining improvements
- Schedule quarterly reviews to identify further improvements
Step 9: Celebrate and Share Success
Recognise people who contributed to improvement. Share results organisation-wide. Build momentum for future waste elimination.
Our Example Celebration:
- Share success metrics: "Reduced reimbursement time by 80%, saved finance team 25 hours monthly"
- Thank pilot department for testing
- Recognise finance team for adapting to new system
- Use success as example encouraging other improvements
Results to Expect
Typical First Project Outcomes:
- 30-50% reduction in process cycle time
- 20-40% reduction in effort required
- Significant frustration reduction
- Enthusiasm for finding more waste
- Confidence to tackle larger projects
Our Example Actual Results (from real implementations):
- Reimbursement time: 21 days → 4 days
- Finance processing: 30 min/report → 6 min/report
- Employee submission: 25 min → 12 min
- Error rate: 15% → 3%
- Satisfaction scores: 3.2/5 → 4.6/5
Common Pitfalls to Avoid (And How to Fix Them)
Even with good intentions, beginners make predictable mistakes when eliminating waste. Here are the most common pitfalls and how to avoid them.
Pitfall 1: Analysis Paralysis
The Mistake: Spending months analysing waste without eliminating any. Creating elaborate documentation, detailed maps, and comprehensive reports whilst actual waste continues.
Why It Happens: Fear of making wrong changes. Perfectionism. Wanting complete information before acting.
How to Fix It: Follow the 80/20 rule. Once you've identified the biggest wastes (20% of analysis time), start eliminating them (80% of your time). You'll learn more from action than analysis.
Timeline Suggestion:
- Analysis: 1-2 days
- Quick wins: 1-2 days
- Implementation: 1-2 weeks
- Review and refine: Ongoing
Don't analyse for months. Act quickly, learn, adjust.
Pitfall 2: Blaming People Instead of Processes
The Mistake: Attributing waste to lazy, incompetent, or careless employees rather than poor process design.
Why It Happens: It's easier to blame individuals than acknowledge systemic problems. People doing wasteful work are visible; bad processes are less obvious.
How to Fix It: Assume good intentions. If multiple people struggle with a process, the process is the problem. Waste results from how work is organised, not worker deficiencies.
Example: Wrong: "Sarah keeps making errors because she's careless." Right: "Our process allows errors because it lacks validation checkpoints. Let's redesign it so errors are caught immediately."
Focus on improving systems, not blaming people.
Pitfall 3: Eliminating Necessary Non-Value Work
The Mistake: Removing activities that don't add customer value but are legitimately necessary, causing bigger problems.
Why It Happens: Confusing "non-value-adding" with "waste." Not all non-value work is waste.
How to Fix It: Distinguish between:
- Waste: Unnecessary non-value work (eliminate completely)
- Necessary non-value work: Required for operations (minimise but keep)
Examples of Necessary Non-Value Work:
- Quality inspection (necessary until processes achieve perfect quality)
- Regulatory compliance documentation
- Financial controls and audits
- Security procedures
Don't eliminate these. Instead, minimise them through better design, automation, or standardisation.
Pitfall 4: Tackling Too Much at Once
The Mistake: Trying to eliminate all waste simultaneously, overwhelming everyone and achieving nothing.
Why It Happens: Enthusiasm after discovering how much waste exists. Impatience to see results.
How to Fix It: One improvement at a time. Complete it before starting the next. Build capability through small successes before attempting large changes.
Start Small:
- First project: One simple process, clear waste
- Second project: Slightly more complex
- Third project: Involves multiple departments
- Fourth+ projects: Tackle bigger challenges
Success breeds success. Start small.
Pitfall 5: Not Involving the People Doing the Work
The Mistake: Designing improvements in isolation, then imposing them on workers who perform the process daily.
Why It Happens: Belief that managers or experts know best. Not wanting to "bother" frontline workers.
How to Fix It: Involve the people who do the work. They understand details outsiders miss. They spot waste you overlook. They support changes they help design.
How to Involve People:
- Interview workers about frustrations and inefficiencies
- Observe them performing the work
- Ask for improvement ideas
- Include them in designing new processes
- Test changes with their input
- Recognise their contributions
Workers know where the bodies are buried. Listen to them.
Pitfall 6: Forgetting to Standardise Improvements
The Mistake: Making improvements but not documenting or enforcing them. People gradually drift back to old wasteful habits.
Why It Happens: Focusing on the exciting improvement part whilst neglecting boring standardisation. Assuming improvements will naturally stick.
How to Fix It: Every improvement needs:
- Documentation (updated procedures)
- Training (everyone knows the new way)
- Visual reminders (signs, checklists, templates)
- Monitoring (tracking adherence)
- Accountability (someone owns the process)
Example: After eliminating waste from meeting processes:
- Update meeting guidelines document
- Train facilitators on new approach
- Create meeting templates enforcing new structure
- Track meeting effectiveness monthly
- Designate someone to oversee meeting quality
Without standardisation, improvements erode.
Pitfall 7: Optimising Before Eliminating
The Mistake: Making wasteful processes more efficient rather than eliminating the waste entirely.
Why It Happens: Optimisation feels productive. It's less threatening than elimination. Technology solutions are exciting.
How to Fix It: Always ask "Should we be doing this at all?" before asking "How can we do this better?"
Example: Wrong: "Let's speed up our manual data entry with better keyboards and training." Right: "Why are we entering data manually? Can we automate it completely or eliminate the need for this data?"
Don't optimise waste. Eliminate it.
Pitfall 8: Declaring Victory Too Soon
The Mistake: Eliminating obvious waste, celebrating success, then stopping whilst significant waste remains.
Why It Happens: Initial improvements are easy and rewarding. Deeper waste is harder to find and eliminate.
How to Fix It: Waste elimination is continuous, not a one-time project. After eliminating obvious waste, look deeper for:
- Waste hidden in "normal" activities
- Waste in cross-departmental handoffs
- Waste from strategic choices (wrong products, wrong customers)
- Waste in decision-making processes
Continuous Improvement Mindset:
- Celebrate wins
- Immediately identify next target
- Involve more people in identifying waste
- Tackle progressively complex challenges
- Never consider the job "done"
Pitfall 9: Ignoring the Root Cause
The Mistake: Treating symptoms rather than underlying causes. Waste returns because root problems weren't addressed.
Why It Happens: Symptoms are visible; root causes require investigation. Quick fixes feel satisfying.
How to Fix It: Use the "5 Whys" technique to find root causes. Don't stop at surface symptoms.
Example: Symptom Treatment: "We have too much inventory, so let's have a clearance sale." Root Cause Elimination: "We overproduce because of long setup times. Let's reduce setup time so we can produce in smaller batches matching actual demand."
Treating symptoms provides temporary relief. Eliminating root causes prevents recurrence.
Pitfall 10: Not Measuring Results
The Mistake: Implementing changes without measuring whether waste was actually eliminated or new problems were created.
Why It Happens: Measurement feels bureaucratic. You assume improvements worked. You lack baseline data.
How to Fix It: Always measure before and after:
Before Improvement:
- Current cycle time
- Current effort required
- Current error rates
- Current costs
After Improvement:
- New cycle time
- New effort required
- New error rates
- New costs
- Unintended consequences
Measurement proves value, identifies further opportunities, and builds credibility for future improvements.
From Your First Project to Continuous Improvement
You now have a complete roadmap for eliminating your first waste. Nine clear steps from choosing a target through celebrating success. A real example showing exactly how each step works in practice. Guidance on common pitfalls and how to avoid them. Everything you need to succeed with your first waste elimination project.
Here's what happens next.
Take Action Today
Close this guide and immediately choose your target process. Don't wait for the perfect opportunity or ideal conditions. Pick something simple that genuinely wastes time or money. Something you understand well and have authority to change. Something that affects you or your immediate team.
Got it? Good. Now block two hours on your calendar this week to map the current process and identify the waste within it. Not "when things calm down" or "after this busy period ends." This week. Waste doesn't eliminate itself while you wait for convenient timing.
Those two hours will move you from planning to doing. From understanding waste to eliminating it. That's the critical transition most people never make.
Your First Project Sets the Pattern
The approach you take with your first project establishes habits that will carry through to future improvements. If you skip steps (like testing before full rollout), you'll be tempted to skip them in future projects too. If you forget to standardise improvements, that pattern will repeat. If you fail to measure results, you'll lack the evidence needed to build credibility.
Do this first project right. Follow all nine steps even when you're tempted to shortcut them. Test small before rolling out big. Document improvements so they stick. Measure results so you can prove value. Celebrate success so people want to participate in future improvements.
These habits compound. Your second project will be easier because you've established good patterns. Your fifth project will be faster because the methodology has become automatic. Your tenth project will tackle bigger challenges because you've built capability and credibility through consistent success.
Expect Obstacles (And Overcome Them)
Your first project won't go perfectly smoothly. You'll encounter resistance from people comfortable with current processes. You'll discover waste you initially missed. Your first design might need refinement based on testing. Measurements might reveal unexpected side effects.
That's not failure. That's learning. Every obstacle you overcome teaches you something valuable for the next project. The person who completed five waste elimination projects with obstacles learned more than the person who completed one perfect project (which doesn't exist anyway).
When you hit an obstacle, pause and problem-solve. Refer back to the relevant section of this guide. Ask for input from people doing the work. Adjust your approach based on what you've learned. Then keep moving forward.
Persistence matters more than perfection. The project that takes eight weeks and encounters five obstacles still eliminates waste. The project you abandon after two weeks because it's "too hard" eliminates nothing.
Build on Success
After completing your first project, you'll have tangible results to share. Time saved. Costs reduced. Frustration eliminated. Error rates dropped. People will notice. More importantly, you'll have proven to yourself that waste elimination actually works.
Use that momentum immediately. Before celebrating your success, identify your next target. What's the second waste you'll eliminate? Choose something slightly more complex than your first project. Maybe it involves multiple departments instead of just one team. Or requires coordination with external vendors. Or needs approval from one level higher in the organisation.
Your second project will be easier than your first because you know the methodology now. Your third will be easier still. By your fifth project, waste elimination will feel natural rather than novel. You'll spot opportunities automatically and know exactly how to address them.
Share Knowledge, Build Culture
Don't keep your waste elimination skills to yourself. Share what you've learned with colleagues. Walk someone through the nine-step process. Help them identify and eliminate their first waste. Create a small community of people in your organisation who know how to spot and eliminate waste systematically.
This is how improvement cultures develop. Not through grand transformation programs announced from the top, but through small groups of people teaching each other practical skills and eliminating waste one project at a time.
When five people in your organisation have each completed successful waste elimination projects, you have capability. When 20 people have done it, you have momentum. When 50 people make waste elimination part of how they work, you have a culture that continuously improves.
You can be the person who starts that in your organisation.
The Pitfalls Revisited
Before you begin, quickly review the ten common pitfalls one more time. Analysis paralysis. Blaming people. Eliminating necessary work. Tackling too much at once. Not involving workers. Forgetting to standardise. Optimising instead of eliminating. Declaring victory too soon. Ignoring root causes. Not measuring results.
You'll be tempted by several of these during your first project. When you are, come back and reread the relevant section. Understanding these pitfalls in advance doesn't make you immune to them, but it does make you more likely to recognise and correct them quickly.
The difference between successful and unsuccessful first projects often comes down to whether people caught and corrected these common mistakes or let them derail the effort.
Beyond Your First Project
Your first waste elimination project is just the beginning. After you've eliminated one waste successfully, you'll see opportunities everywhere. Processes that once seemed normal will reveal obvious waste. Activities you took for granted will appear questionable.
That expanded vision is valuable, but it can also be overwhelming. You'll identify more waste than you could possibly eliminate in a year. Don't let that paralyse you. You can't fix everything at once, and you don't need to.
Focus on one waste at a time. Complete each project before starting the next. Build capability steadily through consistent small successes rather than attempting massive transformations that collapse under their own weight.
In one year, you could realistically eliminate 10 to 15 distinct wastes by following this approach. That's 10 to 15 processes running faster, cheaper, and with less frustration. That's 10 to 15 proven successes building your credibility and skills. That's meaningful improvement without requiring heroic effort or unlimited resources.
The Compound Effect of Elimination
Here's what makes waste elimination so powerful over time. Each waste you eliminate makes others more visible and easier to fix. Reduce defects and you'll spot the waiting waste those defects were causing. Eliminate transportation waste and you'll notice the motion waste that was hidden behind it. Fix overproduction and you'll uncover the inventory waste it was creating.
Wastes interconnect and reinforce each other. They also compound when eliminated. Your first project might save three hours weekly. Your tenth project might save 30 hours weekly because you've developed better skills and built on previous improvements. Your twentieth project might prevent problems that would have consumed hundreds of hours.
This compound effect means your waste elimination capability becomes more valuable over time, not less. You're not just fixing individual problems. You're building an improvement system that continuously identifies and eliminates waste throughout your organisation.
Your Decision Point
You now have everything needed to eliminate your first waste. A clear nine-step methodology. A detailed example showing how each step works. Guidance on avoiding common pitfalls. Realistic expectations about results and challenges.
The only thing missing is your decision to begin.
Most people who read this guide will never complete a waste elimination project. They'll recognise the value, intend to try it, maybe even choose a target process. But they won't actually block time to map the process and identify waste. They won't design improvements or test changes. They'll return to their normal routines, and the waste will continue.
A small minority will read this guide and immediately take action. They'll choose a target today. Map the process this week. Eliminate their first waste this month. Build momentum through consistent success. Transform how their organisations operate one eliminated waste at a time.
Which group will you join?
The Work Begins Now
Waste elimination isn't about reading guides or attending training sessions. It's about actually eliminating waste. One process at a time. One improvement at a time. One project at a time.
Your first project starts now. Choose your target. Map your process. Identify your waste. Design your improvement. Test your changes. Implement your solution. Standardise your gains. Celebrate your success. Share your results.
Then immediately choose your next target and do it again.
That's how organisations transform. Not through grand strategies or expensive programs, but through persistent elimination of waste by people who refused to accept inefficiency as inevitable.
You're now one of those people. You have the knowledge. You have the methodology. You have the example to follow.
The only thing left is to begin.
