value-stream-mapping

Business

Create and analyze value stream maps with waste identification and process efficiency metrics

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Value Stream Mapping

Overview

The Value Stream Mapping skill provides specialized capabilities for creating and analyzing value stream maps (VSM) using Lean principles. This skill enables visualization of material and information flows, identification of waste, and development of future-state improvements for process optimization.

Capabilities

Current-State Value Stream Maps

Generate current-state value stream maps
Document process steps with standard VSM icons
Capture time metrics for each process step
Map information and material flows

Process Cycle Efficiency (PCE)

Calculate process cycle efficiency
Determine value-added vs non-value-added time
Benchmark PCE against industry standards
Track PCE improvement over time

Eight Types of Waste (DOWNTIME)

Identify Defects in processes
Identify Overproduction waste
Identify Waiting time waste
Identify Non-utilized talent
Identify Transportation waste
Identify Inventory excess
Identify Motion waste
Identify Extra-processing waste

Time Metrics Calculation

Calculate lead time (total time from request to delivery)
Calculate cycle time (time for one unit through process)
Calculate takt time (pace of customer demand)
Compare metrics to identify bottlenecks

Future-State Value Stream Maps

Generate future-state value stream maps
Apply Lean principles to eliminate waste
Design pull systems and flow
Incorporate continuous flow where possible

Kaizen Burst Prioritization

Create kaizen burst prioritization lists
Assign improvement ownership
Estimate improvement impact
Track kaizen implementation progress

Improvement Progress Tracking

Track improvement progress over time
Compare current vs target state metrics
Generate progress dashboards
Report on waste reduction achievements

Usage

Create Current-State VSM

Create a current-state value stream map for:
[Process description with steps]

Include time metrics and identify waste at each step.

Calculate PCE

Calculate process cycle efficiency:
[Process steps with value-added and non-value-added times]

Compare to industry benchmarks and recommend improvements.

Identify Waste

Identify all eight types of waste in this process:
[Process description]

Quantify waste impact and prioritize elimination opportunities.

Create Future-State VSM

Design a future-state value stream map:
Current State: [Current VSM details]
Improvement Goals: [Target metrics]

Apply Lean principles and show expected improvements.

Process Integration

This skill integrates with the following business analysis processes:

value-stream-mapping.js - Core VSM activities
process-gap-analysis.js - Process improvement identification
sipoc-process-definition.js - Process boundary definition

Dependencies

VSM templates and icons
Lean metrics calculations
Time study data structures
Visualization libraries

Value Stream Mapping Reference

VSM Standard Icons

Icon	Name	Description
Process Box	Process	Value-adding process step
Triangle	Inventory	Work-in-progress or finished goods
Arrow (push)	Push Flow	Material pushed to next step
Supermarket	Pull System	Controlled inventory buffer
FIFO Lane	FIFO	First-in-first-out flow
Kaizen Burst	Improvement	Identified improvement opportunity
Electronic Info	Information Flow	Electronic information transfer

DOWNTIME Waste Categories

Letter	Waste Type	Examples
D	Defects	Rework, scrap, errors
O	Overproduction	Making more than needed
W	Waiting	Idle time, queue time
N	Non-utilized talent	Underused skills, ideas ignored
T	Transportation	Unnecessary movement of materials
I	Inventory	Excess stock, WIP buildup
M	Motion	Unnecessary movement of people
E	Extra-processing	Over-engineering, redundant steps

Key Time Metrics

Metric	Definition	Formula
Lead Time	Total time from order to delivery	Sum of all process and wait times
Cycle Time	Time to complete one unit	Processing time per unit
Takt Time	Rate of customer demand	Available time / Customer demand
PCE	Process Cycle Efficiency	Value-Added Time / Lead Time

PCE Benchmarks

Industry	Typical PCE	World Class
Manufacturing	5-10%	25%+
Service	1-5%	15%+
Healthcare	1-3%	10%+
Software	5-15%	30%+

Future-State Design Principles

Produce to takt time
Develop continuous flow where possible
Use supermarkets where continuous flow is not possible
Send customer schedule to one production process
Level the production mix
Create initial pull with small increments
Develop the ability to make every part every day

Other versions

Version 2 on GitHub