Which of the following options best describes what is meant by 'wastes' in Lean?

The term 'waste' in Lean methodology specifically refers to non-value-adding activities that do not benefit the customer or the overall process. Lean principles aim to streamline processes by identifying and eliminating these wastes, which can take various forms such as overproduction, waiting time, unnecessary motion, and defects.

By minimizing or eliminating these non-value-adding activities, organizations can increase efficiency, reduce costs, and improve the overall value delivered to customers. The focus is on optimizing processes to ensure that each step adds value, thus aligning the operations more closely with customer needs and expectations.

The other choices, while related to cost and resource management, do not capture the essence of what 'waste' specifically denotes in Lean thinking. Activities providing value to the customer are not classified as waste; they are the core focus of Lean efforts. Processes that incur extra costs or utilize excessive resources may indicate inefficiencies, but not all of these are categorized as waste in the Lean framework unless they are shown to be non-value-adding.