Muda is a Japanese word for "Waste" - Coined from the legendary engineers at Toyota and their World Class Production System. TPS
That is really what Process Excellence is about - eliminating Muda. Get rid of anting that gets in the way of delivering a product or service the most efficiently and effectively you can. I feel lucky to be part of the home-building business where you can deliver a home to a customer within 100 days of their order. Some companies have it down to less than 70 days (No Muda there). What is the Muda in your company? Lean thinking can be applied to any business if only the people who lead want a system of thinking that supports continuous improvement.
Take time to look at this recent article on lean principles. Article