Value Stream Mapping

Purpose

Value Stream Mapping (VSM) creates a visual representation of every step in a process from customer request to delivery. By mapping both value-adding and non-value-adding steps, cycle times, and wait times, the team identifies where waste accumulates and where improvements will have the greatest impact.

At a glance

How to run

1. Define scope (5 min): Identify the process to map — from trigger (customer request) to end (delivery of value).
2. Map current state (25 min): Walk through the process step by step. For each step, capture: activity name, who does it, cycle time, wait time before next step, and whether it adds value.
3. Calculate totals (5 min): Sum total lead time, total cycle time, and value-add time. The ratio reveals process efficiency.
4. Identify waste (10 min): Mark the 7 wastes (transport, inventory, motion, waiting, over-processing, over-production, defects) on the map.
5. Design future state (10 min): Brainstorm improvements: eliminate waste, reduce wait times, combine steps, automate.
6. Plan improvements (5 min): Prioritise the top 3 improvements. Assign owners and timelines.

Materials needed

• Long roll of paper or multiple flip chart sheets taped together
• Sticky notes (different colours for steps, data, waste)
• Markers
• Process data (cycle times, wait times — estimates are acceptable)
• VSM symbol guide

Pitfalls & common mistakes

• Mapping the ideal, not the actual: Map what really happens, not what should happen.
• Too detailed: Stay at the process level, not the task level.
• No data: Even rough estimates for cycle and wait times are better than none.
• Current state only: Without a future-state vision, the map is just a diagnosis.

Inclusion & accessibility

• Include people who actually perform the work — they know the real process.
• Walk through the map step by step so everyone follows.
• Use clear symbols and a legend.

Variations

• Digital VSM: Use Miro, Lucidchart, or specialised VSM tools.
• Service Value Stream: Adapted for service industries rather than manufacturing.
• Software Value Stream: Maps the flow from idea to deployment in software teams.

When NOT to use this

• When the process does not have a clear start and end point.
• When the team has no mandate to change the process — mapping without authority to improve is frustrating.
• When the process is too simple for the overhead of a formal VSM.

Source & further reading

• Mike Rother & John Shook, *Learning to See* (1999)
• Toyota Production System
• Lean Enterprise Institute: Value Stream Mapping