Value Stream Mapping

In numerous manufacturing industries, lean thinking has become a widely adopted improvement approach that can greatly simplify processes and improve overall performance of a company. At the nucleus of Lean thinking is the focus on creating great value for the customers, while eliminating waste in the process. The stream of activities within an organisation that creates these values for customer is often referred to as the value stream. And that brings us to Value Stream Mapping.

Value Stream Mapping is the name given to the tool used to understand, analyse and improve a value stream within any given organisation. In addition to that, the map is useful in analysing material and information flows of entire value streams and it is a standard tool used in the diagnostic of operating systems, providing overview and understanding of manufacturing processes.

Types of Value Stream Maps:

There are 2 main types of Value Stream Maps; and each on is describe below. Both types are necessary for a successful completion of a project or process and future activities within the organisation.

1. Current State Value Stream Map

This type of value stream maps is used to map, understand, analyse and improve a value stream or streams of activities. They involve a rigorous fact based analysis of a process. Based on this, it may be concluded that Current State Value Stream Mapping Provides a detailed visual description of the current value stream or activities aimed at providing customers with great value.

So, in summary, what are the main objectives of current state value stream mapping? The answers are as followed:

• They are used to show a holistic view of the entire current system.
• They indicate waste and its causes throughout a process.
• Value stream mapping also identify areas where improvement is possible within a process.
• And, last but not the least, they Provide common picture that may be useful when discussing a process and other issues relating to it.

Future State Value Stream Map

On the other hand, a future value stream map is a type of mapping used to map, understand, analyse and improve a future value stream or streams of activities. Based on that, it is safe to say future value stream mapping is creative synthesis, deduction, or the combination of ideas into a complex whole design.

Basically, the main objectives of the future value stream map can be summarised into the following points.

• They provide organisations with a detailed visual description of a redesigned value stream.
• They systematically force organisation into adopting best practices in creating a vision of the ideal lean value stream.
• Furthermore, future state value stream mapping assists organisations in quantifying the potential of improving, not only their products or process, but also their services.
• And, in addition to that, they serve as communication tool for the future state of the process.