A production practice that considers the expenditure of resources for any goal other than the creation of value for the end customer to be wasteful, and thus a target for elimination. It's based on finding efficiencies and removing wasteful steps that don't add value to the end product. 2. A movement over several decades. In the 1960s, it meant managing quality across the entire organization. In the 70s it stretched the need for managing quality beyond manufacturing boundaries. Ultimately, it recognized the role of employees in creating a defect-free organization. 3. A never-ending process of improvement that covers people, equipment, suppliers, materials and procedures. Its premise is that every aspect of an operation can be improved. 4. A methodology of quality that strives for near perfection and the elimination of nearly all defects. The process must not produce more than 3.4 defects per