The 7 Deadly Wastes: A History and Their Relevance to Flagship LMS

The 7 Deadly Wastes originated in the Toyota Production System, a groundbreaking approach to efficiency in manufacturing developed by Toyota in the mid-20th century. Inspired by lean principles, these wastes were identified as obstacles to creating value, and eliminating them became the foundation for continuous improvement. Over time, this philosophy transcended manufacturing and became a cornerstone of lean thinking, applied across industries from healthcare to software development.

At Flagship LMS, these wastes help us identify inefficiencies in our workflows and processes. By understanding and addressing these wastes, we improve productivity, reduce costs, and deliver exceptional value to our clients.

The 7 Deadly Wastes (TIMWOOD) for Flagship LMS

Here are the seven wastes, redefined for the work we do at Flagship LMS:

1. Transportation Unnecessary movement of files, data, or communication that causes delays or confusion.

• Example: A client request is assigned to one of our team members with incomplete details, resulting in unnecessary follow-up emails to fill in the gaps. Communication without relevant context, hyperlinks, and other details creates too many back-and-forth exchanges.

2. Inventory Holding onto outdated or unused resources, such as old course backups or inactive client files.

• Example: Storing multiple versions of outdated client training materials in a course or repository that are no longer in use, which creates confusion when searching for the latest resources.

3. Motion Unnecessary movement of people or excessive time spent navigating disorganized systems.

• Example: Searching for project files across multiple platforms or folders.

4. Waiting Idle time caused by delays in approvals, information, or other dependencies.

• Example: Pausing a project completely while waiting for client feedback on one task.

5. Overproduction Creating work or features beyond the client’s scope or needs, leading to wasted effort. Note: this is not a problem that we have at Flagship LMS. We almost never overproduce.

• Example: Adding extra LMS features or training materials that aren’t required.

6. Overprocessing Doing more work than necessary, such as rechecking tasks or customizing unnecessarily.

• Example: Spending extra hours manually branding a client's site home page instead of importing a standard template and changing the colors and logo.

7. Defects Errors in work that require fixes, causing delays and reducing client satisfaction.

• Example: Incorrectly automating the assignment of roles and not adjusting block settings, which prevents managers from accessing their configurable reports, requiring urgent adjustments to fix the issue.

Why Eliminating Waste Matters to Flagship LMS

At Flagship LMS, our success depends on delivering efficient, high-quality solutions that meet client needs. By addressing these wastes:

• We save time by streamlining workflows and avoiding unnecessary steps.
• We improve client satisfaction by reducing errors and delays.
• We foster innovation by focusing on high-value tasks rather than redundant efforts.
• We empower ourselves by creating organized, efficient, and frustration-free processes.

Here are More Examples of Each Waste

1. Transportation Inefficient movement of data, communication, or resources slows our workflows.

• Sending multiple emails for the same clarification.
• Delivering course assets like videos and PDFs in fragmented email messages instead of putting them all in a single Basecamp folder.
• Uploading files to the wrong location and having to move them later.
• Re-sending correct links after accidentally sharing outdated or wrong ones.
• Fixing custom registration and login pages multiple times for minor updates.
• Repeatedly adjusting Moodle configurations without clear instructions.
• Miscommunication between teams requiring multiple follow-ups.

2. Inventory Excess resources or data lead to clutter and inefficiency.

• Not uninstalling unused or outdated Moodle plugins.
• Keeping excessive backups for inactive client sites.
• Over-purchasing hosting capacity for low-traffic clients.
• Holding onto outdated files or project templates in Basecamp.
• Retaining excessive client data that is no longer relevant.

3. Motion Wasted movement of people or resources hinders productivity.

• Searching for scattered documentation in Basecamp.
• Navigating complex folder structures to find files.
• Switching between platforms to access redundant data.
• Manually copying notes into digital formats after meetings.
• Revisiting long email threads for missing information.
• Re-logging into multiple systems due to a lack of integration.
• Hunting for passwords not stored in a centralized password manager.
• Reassigning tasks multiple times due to unclear instructions.
• Spending excessive time locating tools or plugins in Moodle.
• Clicking through too many settings menus for routine changes.

4. Waiting Idle time occurs when dependencies are not met on time.

• Delays in client approvals for changes, updates, or course launches.
• Waiting for clients to provide course materials.
• Pausing tasks while troubleshooting plugin issues.
• Delayed DNS configurations by clients.
• Holding projects due to slow server migrations.
• Waiting for meeting dates to resolve simple questions.
• Halting tasks due to missing Basecamp assignments.
• Waiting for third-party vendors to complete their steps.
• Delayed responses from other team members.

5. Overproduction Creating unnecessary outputs wastes resources and time. Note: this is not a problem that Flagship LMS staff have.

• Adding extra LMS features not requested by clients.
• Customizing Moodle themes beyond branding requirements.
• Developing additional course materials clients didn’t ask for.
• Writing overly detailed reports for basic client needs.
• Generating more mockups than required during the design phase.
• Preparing in-depth proposals for smaller projects.
• Testing multiple versions of a feature when only one is needed.
• Producing redundant training materials in different formats.
• Adding optional course sections without approval.
• Sending excessive updates or communications.

6. Overprocessing Spending extra time on tasks that don’t add value.

• Spending unnecessary time on low-priority tasks.
• Writing excessively detailed task instructions in Basecamp instead of using the custom GPT to do it for you.
• Spending time crafting a perfect response in English instead of letting ChatGPT do it for you. Note: you can also write your responses in any language and ChatGPT will translate them for you.
• Spending time manually creating activities and resources instead of using course templates.
• Overexplaining processes to clients without pointing to existing guides.
• Recreating tools, workflows, or solutions instead of using standardized versions.

7. Defects Errors in work require rework, causing delays and frustration.

• Errors in course enrollments causing confusion for users.
• Broken links in course materials.
• Plugin errors due to improper compatibility checks in the development site.
• Incorrect cohort assignments in Moodle.
• SQL query errors leading to incomplete reports.
• Misaligned or incorrect branding elements on Moodle themes and custom registration/login pages.
• Missing steps in checklists (or not using checklists!) causing headaches for clients.
• Errors in Basecamp task descriptions leading to missed deadlines or incorrect work.

Closing Thoughts

By identifying and eliminating these seven wastes, we can ensure that every effort at Flagship LMS contributes directly to creating value for our clients. Lean thinking isn’t just about efficiency—it’s about focusing on what truly matters, empowering our team, and consistently delivering excellence. When we work smarter and more intentionally, everyone wins.