What is value stream mapping?
Value stream mapping (sometimes called VSM) is a lean manufacturing technique to analyze, design, and manage the flow of materials and information required to bring a product to a customer. Also known as âmaterial and information-flow mappingâ, it uses a system of standard symbols to depict various work streams and information flows. Items are mapped as adding value or not adding value from the customerâs standpoint, with the purpose of rooting out items that donât add value.
Value stream mapping can be used to improve any process where there are repeatable steps â and especially when there are multiple handoffs. In manufacturing, handoffs are easier to visualize because they usually involve the handoff of a tangible deliverable through stations. If, for example, a problem arises when assembling a vehicle, line workers can see the physical parts accumulating and jamming up a certain part of the assembly line. They can then stop the line to solve that problem and get the process flowing again.
The application of value stream mapping â also referred to as âvisualizingâ or âmappingâ a process â isnât limited to the assembly line. Lean value stream mapping has gained momentum in knowledge work because it results in better team communication and more effective collaboration.
The history of value stream mapping
The origins of value stream mapping are often attributed to Toyota Motor Corporation. However, this is a murky topic. Toyota may have adopted it from other origin sources or it may have grown organically from shared ideas in the lean manufacturing community. Early versions of diagrams revealing the flow of materials and information can be found as early as 1918 in a book called Installing Efficiency Methods, by Charles E. Knoeppel.
Inside Toyota the practice was called âmaterial and information flow mappingâ and was done almost as an afterthought. Toyotaâs success and use of lean manufacturing practices helped promote value stream mapping as a modern best practice for high efficiency business teams during the 1990s.
The benefits of value stream mapping
1) Reducing or eliminating waste can improve your companyâs bottom line. As a bonus, you discover the root cause and the source of the waste.
2) Once wasteful handoffs are identified as part of value stream visualizers, your teams can consciously improve behavior, culture, communication, and collaboration.
3) Teams discard individual opinions and prioritize based on the customerâs perspective.
source: Lean Institute Brasil
#lean #VSM #ValueStreamMapping
Value stream mapping (sometimes called VSM) is a lean manufacturing technique to analyze, design, and manage the flow of materials and information required to bring a product to a customer. Also known as âmaterial and information-flow mappingâ, it uses a system of standard symbols to depict various work streams and information flows. Items are mapped as adding value or not adding value from the customerâs standpoint, with the purpose of rooting out items that donât add value.
Value stream mapping can be used to improve any process where there are repeatable steps â and especially when there are multiple handoffs. In manufacturing, handoffs are easier to visualize because they usually involve the handoff of a tangible deliverable through stations. If, for example, a problem arises when assembling a vehicle, line workers can see the physical parts accumulating and jamming up a certain part of the assembly line. They can then stop the line to solve that problem and get the process flowing again.
The application of value stream mapping â also referred to as âvisualizingâ or âmappingâ a process â isnât limited to the assembly line. Lean value stream mapping has gained momentum in knowledge work because it results in better team communication and more effective collaboration.
The history of value stream mapping
The origins of value stream mapping are often attributed to Toyota Motor Corporation. However, this is a murky topic. Toyota may have adopted it from other origin sources or it may have grown organically from shared ideas in the lean manufacturing community. Early versions of diagrams revealing the flow of materials and information can be found as early as 1918 in a book called Installing Efficiency Methods, by Charles E. Knoeppel.
Inside Toyota the practice was called âmaterial and information flow mappingâ and was done almost as an afterthought. Toyotaâs success and use of lean manufacturing practices helped promote value stream mapping as a modern best practice for high efficiency business teams during the 1990s.
The benefits of value stream mapping
1) Reducing or eliminating waste can improve your companyâs bottom line. As a bonus, you discover the root cause and the source of the waste.
2) Once wasteful handoffs are identified as part of value stream visualizers, your teams can consciously improve behavior, culture, communication, and collaboration.
3) Teams discard individual opinions and prioritize based on the customerâs perspective.
source: Lean Institute Brasil
#lean #VSM #ValueStreamMapping
