In a Lean environment, a value-added task is best described as one that

The correct answer is B. contributes a form or a feature to a product or service . In Lean Six Sigma, value-added work is defined by whether it transforms the product or service in a way the customer recognizes as valuable and would be willing to pay for. The CSSBB supplemental material explains that value-added activities are the portion of the cycle time that actually adds something of value to the output, while non-value-added time is waste. It further notes that a value-added task is one that contributes a form, feature, or function to a product or service.

This definition is customer-centered, not management-centered. A task does not become value-added merely because it supports compliance or because a skilled employee performs it. Those activities may be necessary, but they do not necessarily add value in the Lean sense. The key question is whether the task changes the product or service in a way that matters to the customer. Therefore, the verified CSSBB answer is B .