Seeing the Big Picture: Value Stream Mapping

Using Lean techniques like 5S and SMED, you can easily reduce waste on individual processes. But what happens when the problems are bigger than one process? How do you really assess the entire system, including customer requests, suppliers, distributors and service providers? One way to do this is with a Value Stream Map.

Value Stream Mapping (VSM) is a high-level, visual representation of all of the process steps that are required to transform a customer request into delivered products or services. They show the connection between information and product flow, as well as any major barriers to moving the process forward. By using VSMs to document current and future state conditions, you can begin identifying Value Added and Non-Value Added activities.

Check out our whole series on Value Stream Mapping on uttana.com by clicking here. Below is a sampling of our free courses on VSM from our youtube channel.

Value Stream Mapping is a complex process, that requires support at the highest levels of your organization. Change does not happen overnight, but without the right support, change does not happen at all. Consider where your organization is today, are you looking at the big picture?