nonvalueadded

Nonvalueadded refers to activities within a process that do not add value from the customer's perspective. In lean manufacturing and service workflows, nonvalueadded activities are considered waste and are targeted for elimination or reduction. Value is defined as any action that transforms the product or service in a way that the customer is willing to pay for, while nonvalueadded time or steps do not contribute to that transformation.

Nonvalueadded activities can sometimes be necessary for compliance, safety, quality, or organization, and are therefore labeled as non-value-added but necessary (NNVA). They are not the primary source of value, but they are tolerated to meet external requirements.

Common forms of nonvalueadded activity include waiting for work, unnecessary movement or transport of materials, extra processing that does not change the product, inspection or rework that does not prevent errors, excess inventory, and defects. The well-known acronym TIMWOOD is used to remember seven wastes: transport, inventory, motion, waiting, overproduction, over-processing, defects, plus underutilized talent.

Identifying nonvalueadded activities is a core part of value stream mapping and continuous improvement. Reducing them often involves standardizing work, implementing pull systems, improving layout, reducing batch sizes, improving quality at source, and empowering employees through training and problem-solving.

The goal is to shorten cycle times, lower costs, improve quality, and increase customer satisfaction by focusing effort on value-added steps and minimizing nonvalueadded waste across manufacturing and service contexts.