What is value stream mapping (VSM) good for?
Lean management can benefit from value stream mapping as the process map exposes redundant activities, waste and anything not directly contributing value. Likewise, the timeline helps clearly visualize delays, slow-moving inventory and any tasks that take longer than they should. The time data also provides some insight into supplier performance in terms of receiving materials on time.
Value stream mapping helps businesses spot instances of waste known by the Lean acronym TIM WOOD:
- Transportation: Moving materials between locations unnecessarily.
- Inventory: Overstocking parts, materials and products.
- Motion: Employees moving too much or over excessive distances to perform tasks or collect resources.
- Waiting: Delays and downtime while awaiting supplier delivery, or for a dependent process to be completed.
- Overproduction: Surplus stock from supply outweighing demand.
- Overprocessing: Overly complicated steps and processes that don’t benefit customer value, as well as overengineered “feature creeps”.
- Defects: Rework arising from substandard product quality.
Additional issues can arise from handoffs and task-switching, when personnel and process responsibility changes, and information is lost amidst disconnected processes. A value stream map can show a business where these handovers are best to take place within the wider process, any that are unnecessary, as well as breaks and blindspots in the information flow.
Because it’s focused explicitly on customer delivery, value stream mapping can directly benefit customer service by improving quality management and reducing order fulfillment cycle times. And, as mentioned earlier, there are potential bottom-line gains. Eliminating waste, bottlenecks and unnecessary delays can accelerate production times and stock turnaround, while lowering the chance of order cancellations due to overlong waiting times.