Lean Waste #7: Motion

Now, of course I don’t mean getting your steps in but I do mean unnecessary walking around, driving around, etc. to get your job done.

One of the things I’ve done in my lean journey is a “spaghetti map” of an office or branch. It’s simple. Just track when people get up and move to another part of the office and write in on a sketch of the office layout. If you get enough observation then your chart should look a plate of spaghetti.

Then ask, “Why?” Why does this person do this? Why so many times in a day? Why to this spot? You’ll be amazed at what you see.

For example, in our corporate office we noticed a handful of people making frequent jaunts from the back corner where their office was to the front where our copier/fax was located. Since time is money it made sense to put another one in the back. Problem solved. Waste eliminated. Business improved.