Is Lean waste of time?
Lean is a simple way to help businesses get more done with less effort and waste. It is about cutting out anything that does not help your customer or your bottom line. In practice, Lean comes down to five main ideas and a set of common “wastes” that sneak into just about every business, whether you see them or not.
The Five Lean Principles—A Bakery’s View
1. Start with What Customers Value
First, figure out what your customers actually want. The bakery team assumed folks would be excited about fancy new breads, but after asking around, it turned out most people just wanted simple, fresh loaves like whole wheat or sourdough. So, the bakery shifted gears.
2. Walk Through the Whole Process
Take a good, honest look at every step from start to finish. In the bakery, they realized the dough was left sitting around overnight—not because it made the bread better, but because it was just how things had always been done. Adjusting the routine got things moving faster.
3. Make Things Flow
Find ways to keep work moving smoothly instead of stopping and starting. After a bit of trial and error, the bakery reorganized its kitchen so ingredients moved from prep to oven without backtracking or hunting for supplies. The bread came out fresher, and bakers were less rushed.
4. Only Make What You Need, When You Need It
No more “just in case” batches. The bakery stopped cranking out a mountain of bread in the morning and started baking smaller amounts throughout the day, matching what customers were actually buying. Less waste, less stress.
5. Always Look for Small Improvements
Lean is not a one-and-done fix. Every week, the team met to talk about what worked, what did not, and what they could try next—whether it was proofing bread differently or testing new suppliers. The changes might have been small, but they added up.
The 8 Wastes—And How They Show Up in a Bakery
Defects: Messed up batches that have to be tossed or redone. Burnt bread is money in the trash.
Overproduction: Making more than people want. Those unsold loaves at day’s end? Waste.
Waiting: Bakers standing around, waiting for dough to rise, instead of prepping the next batch or cleaning up.
Unused Talent: Great bakers stuck on janitor duty instead of doing what they are best at.
Transportation: Lugging flour or tools across the kitchen because things are not stored where they are needed.
Inventory: Stockpiling too much flour, only to throw it out when it goes bad.
Motion: Constantly walking back and forth for supplies due to a poor setup.
Excess Processing: Wrapping every loaf in two bags when one would do.
Why Bother with Lean?
Lean is not about cutting corners—it is about making work easier, faster, and more rewarding for both your customers and your team. In the bakery, Lean meant less waste, happier staff, and more customers coming back for what they actually wanted.
No business is perfect, but with Lean, you always have a way to get better.
