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Deadly Waste #6: Inventory and Storage

May 7, 2014 By Veronica

In this blog series, we will describe the Seven Deadly Wastes and their impact on workplace productivity. We will focus on examples to help paint a picture of how each waste affects the office place, in the hopes that you will be able to identify where waste is occurring, and how you might prevent it. Catching waste before it happens will support your lean 5S office efforts while boosting morale and promoting overall workplace efficiency.


It is a little known truth that everything we own and which takes up space costs us money. This is true at home and in the office. When each square foot of office space is being paid for, that space is valuable and costs money to manage. We often see clients who store boxes and boxes of paper files, many of which are way past their retention guideline date. We also have residential clients who pay for storage units to house all of their extra stuff, most of which is unneeded or unwanted.

Use your office real estate wisely

Another good example of the waste of inventory and storage is in this manufacturing client’s storeroom: see the photos below. The company had this paper lying around from an old project, but hadn’t touched it in several years. As you can see, when we removed the paper, we were able to eliminate the waste of storing it, in addition to freeing up new space for items that they actually needed to use and access on a daily basis.

inventory waste in the 5s office inventory clean up in the 5s office


We also created photos to go on the inside of a closet door to represent the items that should be found inside (this is the “Standardize” step of 5S.) Read more about 5S workplace organization. By standardizing the storage for these workplace items, this company is now able to order supplies only when they are needed, thereby eliminating the need for additional storage space to house excess inventory.

The Seven Deadly Wastes – which are so egregious as to be considered deadly – are as follows:

Example of 5s lean office deadly waste

  • Correction and Rework
  • Waiting
  • Unnecessary Motion
  • Overprocessing
  • Equipment Downtime
  • Inventory and Storage
  • Inspection

Blog Posts on Each Waste Will Be Published Throughout April and May.

Note: Many of the examples used in this blog series come from Thomas A. Fabrizio and Don Tapping’s fabulous book “5S For the Office”. Please check it out if you would like more information on the subject. It is available for purchase here.


Filed Under: 5s lean office, Blog

About Veronica

Originally heralding from the Olympic Peninsula, Veronica can't remember a time when she didn't love helping people get organized. With a BA in English literature and a background in the world of editing and coaching, she enjoys writing the Organizers NW blog and sharing her secrets and tips. Veronica is also a Certified Lean Practitioner, and is always looking for new ways to create flow and increase productivity for her clients. For fun, she loves spending time with her husband, taking long walks and exploring Portland's many bookshops.

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