If you’ve ever wondered, “Why does this process have to be so complicated?” it might be time to take a walk – a process walk.

Part of a management philosophy referred to as “Lean,”¹ process walks help streamline work to be simple to understand, do, and manage by focusing on value and eliminating waste.

How Can We Define Waste? 
In a Lean culture, waste is defined as any aspect of a business that doesn’t add value. Wasted steps might be those that:

1. Don’t help customers;
2. Don’t change a product or service in a meaningful way (or aren’t a prerequisite to another valuable step); or
3. Aren’t “right” the first time and could benefit from some revision.