Lean principles reduce waste in sustainment by which method?

• A. Eliminating non-value-added activities
• B. Implementing Kanban and standard work
• C. Both of the above
• D. Increasing safety stock

Answer: (C)

Lean thinking focuses on removing activities that do not add value and on establishing flow with a pull system. By eliminating non-value-added activities you strip away unnecessary steps, delays, and rework, making sustainment processes faster and more reliable. Implementing Kanban together with standard work creates a pull-replenishment mechanism that inventories only what is needed and in the exact sequence and method that work should be performed, reducing overproduction, excess inventory, and process variation. Increasing safety stock, while it might seem to guard against shortages, actually adds inventory and can mask underlying problems, which goes against lean waste reduction. So both removing non-value-added steps and using Kanban with standard work best reduce waste in sustainment.