Which quality management approach emphasizes eliminating waste and improving flow?

The choice that emphasizes eliminating waste and improving flow is Lean. Lean is a quality management approach that focuses on maximizing customer value while minimizing waste. It aims to create more value for customers with fewer resources by streamlining processes and improving efficiency.

In Lean methodology, waste is considered anything that does not add value to the product or service from the customer's perspective. This includes unnecessary steps in a process, excess inventory, delays, and any other inefficiencies that can detract from optimal performance. Lean strategies often involve continuous improvement practices and tools such as value stream mapping to identify and eliminate waste, thereby enhancing the flow of materials and information through a system.

The other options represent different aspects of quality management but do not specifically focus on waste elimination and flow improvement in the same way Lean does. For example, Six Sigma primarily focuses on reducing variation and improving process quality through statistical methods. Quality Control typically centers on monitoring products to ensure they meet quality standards without necessarily targeting waste or flow specifically. ISO 9001 sets a framework for quality management systems but does not focus on the principles of waste elimination or flow improvement in the same targeted manner as Lean.