s4h-resource-waste-audit
Installation
SKILL.md
Resource Waste Audit
In manufacturing, Toyota identified seven categories of waste. They apply equally to knowledge work — with a different surface appearance but the same underlying structure. The goal is to find where resources are consumed without producing value.
The Seven Wastes in Knowledge Work
| Waste | Description |
|---|---|
| Waiting | Idle time between steps — work blocked pending a decision, review, or dependency |
| Overproduction | Producing more than is needed — reports no one reads, features no one uses |
| Rework | Fixing what should have been right — re-doing work due to unclear requirements or poor handoffs |
| Duplication | The same work being done in two places — parallel efforts, re-discovered knowledge |
| Motion | Unnecessary switching or handoffs — context switching, excessive meetings, process overhead |
| Inventory | Work in progress that is not flowing — large backlogs, features built but not shipped |
| Over-processing | More effort than the task requires — over-engineered solutions, unnecessary polish |