Published Online:August 2025
Product Name:The IUP Journal of Operations Management
Product Type:Article
Product Code:IJOM010825
DOI:10.71329/IUPJOM/2025.24.3.5-35
Author Name:Aaron Kusidi Lutete
Availability:YES
Subject/Domain:Management
Download Format:PDF
Pages:5-35
While Lean management traditionally identifies seven categories of waste, such as overproduction, waiting, and motion, this paper argues that dependencies represent an eighth, underrecognized form of structural waste. Dependencies, understood as conditional relationships among tasks, approvals, or systems, often act as hidden constraints that delay execution and diminish operational efficiency. This paper presents a theoretical and conceptual framework that uses Boolean logic to model dependencies and quantify their impact on flow, reliability, and predictability. Through logical modeling, reliability engineering principles, and probabilistic simulations, the study demonstrates how even small increases in the number or complexity of dependencies exponentially reduce the probability of successful process completion. Boolean logic is employed not only to visualize interdependencies but also to evaluate how they affect system resilience and delay risk. The findings support the hypothesis that dependencies, when not strategically managed, act as structural impediments that should be addressed with the same rigor as the traditional wastes in Lean systems. By reframing dependencies as measurable waste, this paper provides organizations with a new pathway to optimize process design, mitigate systemic fragility, and enhance responsiveness in complex operational environments.
In an era marked by the relentless pursuit of efficiency, organizations across industries continually seek to eliminate waste and streamline operations.