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LEAN-MANUFACTURING5 MIN READ

Start With Value, Not Activity

Define value from the customer perspective before naming waste.

The lean reframe: activity is not the same as value. Value comes before waste A process step is valuable only when it changes the product, order, or information in a way the customer would recognize and care about. If the customer would not pay for it, wait for it, or miss it if it disappeared, do not assume it deserves optimization. Necessary is not the same as valuable Some steps are required even when they do not transform the product: safety checks, compliance records, calibration, and release approvals. Lean does not pretend those vanish. It separates them from avoidable waste…

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