A Value Stream refers to the set of actions or activities done by your organization to design, order, produce and deliver products or services to customers. It involves both value added and non-value added steps.

Value Stream Mapping is an essential Lean tool that gives you a visual representation of the product information and material flow through a value stream.

With Value Stream Mapping, you can:

• visualize production workflow from beginning to end (supplier to customer)
• diagnose problems easier and clear roadblocks quicker
• discover immediate improvement opportunities

Your Value Stream Team

A Value Stream Mapping project begins by:

• clearly defining the current state of your operations
• carefully drawing visual graphics or icons of every process in the material and information flow
• detailing customer requirements and going through all the major production activities

Developing a visual map of the value stream allows everyone to fully understand and agree on how value is produced and where waste occurs, which is why it’s important to involve all of the key individuals participating in that value stream as part of your team. This will help build consensus in developing the most accurate map of the value stream as possible.

Creating a team charter that outlines the problem and sets the project scope is an initial step, followed by physically walking through the process and collecting key data. From there, a current state map can be developed where your team can brainstorm and work together to recommend ideas for potential improvements. This leads to an objective plan for an improved future state – one that is based on better flow and less waste.

After new Lean manufacturing processes for material and information flow are implemented, the team can then go back and create a fresh, new Value Stream Map that measures the real-time results of the improvements and illustrates further opportunities for adjustments and even better flow.

Establish Performance Measurements

Maximizing value stream profitability requires developing a set of measurements throughout the organization that thoroughly reflect the company’s Lean strategies and goals. Your team will have some normal adjustment issues as traditional measurements are replaced with Lean performance measurements designed to monitor and motivate behavior.

Your team will be driven by how progress is measured which makes selecting your measurement metrics a key variable to your success in Value Stream Mapping. Providing everyone with timely and relevant feedback will help keep them engaged in your improvement efforts.

Ensuring Success

Bringing in an outside expert on Lean principles and Value Stream Mapping can be key to your overall success due to the unbiased perspective, guidance and knowledge they can add to the process.

CONNSTEP’s Lean experts are very accomplished in objective Value Stream Mapping. We know how to engage your entire team in the process of improving results and actively contributing to company goals.

Our experts are specially trained and experienced in Value Stream Mapping at both supplier-to-customer and process levels, encompassing both back office and production/service delivery environments. We are also skilled in using the extended value stream map to suppliers and customers. Contact us to learn more.