Lean can be applied to the office setting as well as the factory floor. Processes like quoting, order entry, and engineering can suffer from the 8 Wastes of the Office. Below are examples of each type of waste:

1. Over Production: Paperwork printed before it is needed.
    
2. Excessive Transportation (movement of information): Excessive circulation of paperwork.
    
3. Excessive Motion (movement of people): Going to the printer or copier too often.
    
4. Excessive Inventory: Too many office supplies. 
    
5. Waiting: computer system is down too often or is too slow.
    
6. Defects: Lots of data entry errors.
    
7. Underutilized people: Minimal authority/responsibility for basic tasks.
    
8. Extra Processing: Making extra copies.

If you see these wastes or other examples in your office, it’s time to make it a Lean Office.