A Guide to Value Stream Mapping

Value stream mapping is one of the most crucial steps of the ladder responsible for organizational efficiency, success, and long-term planning. While it is not excruciatingly complex to understand, it’s important for you to keep in mind the 5 principles of value stream mapping to help understand the progressive flow of steps. To give a clearer understanding of the process, here is my experience of implementing value stream mapping in a company!

As I entered the company’s conference room, I noticed that it was full, and several management representatives were seated around the round tables. While most had made it to the room as per the scheduled time, we decided to wait for the last few people to join us – after which, we began.

Sreedher:
Before we start the discussion, I wish to make a prayer. I seek you all to join me if you can.

ॐसहनाववतु।
सहनौभुनक्तु।
सहवीर्यंकरवावहै।
तेजस्विनावधीतमस्तुमाविद्विषावहै।
ॐशान्तिःशान्तिःशान्तिः॥

At the beginning of a class, the teacher, and students recite this peace invocation together. Both seek the Lord’s blessings for a learning session that is free of obstacles such as poor memory, inability to concentrate, or poor health. They also seek blessings for the well-being of all – without this, communication is difficult.

Good morning to you all!

Participants:
Good morning

Sreedher:
I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you!

Participants:
(Aloud) Good morning!

Sreedher:
I hope you are aware that we are starting off with ‘VSM’ in the main plant today. Therefore, it’s important for us all to gain a common understanding of the VSM approach before we embark on the journey.

Can you tell me one reason why your company exists today?

Participants:
First, we are competitive. Second, we produce better quality products. Third, we deliver on time. Lastly, we satisfy our customers.

Sreedher:
Undoubtedly, they are the reasons. However, are you missing the one which logically falls first?

Participants:
[Puzzled silence]

Sreedher:
Your company exists today because your customers exist. It’s because there is someone out there who buys your product and pays a price for it. What you mentioned falls next in chronological order.

I used an interesting word called Lean thinking.

Most of you might have heard about ‘Lean’, haven’t you?

Participants:
Yes!

Sreedher:
So, what is Lean thinking?

Participants:
It is the elimination of wastes, identification, and removal of non-value-added activities…

Sreedher:
Lean reminds me of the famous characters Laurel and Hardy! Do you know them?

Participants:
[Scattered response] Yes!

Sreedher:
One of them was thin, while the other was fat. In our daily lives, which one do we prefer – being Lean or fat?

Participants:
[Scattered responses] Lean.

Sreedher:
Why?

Participants:
[Silence]
[Scattered responses] It will help us stay fit.

Sreedher:
Absolutely! Excess body weight is an invitation to undesired problems such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Do you agree with me?

Participants:
Yes!

Sreedher:
So, to stay fit, I need to think of becoming Lean!

Therefore, the primary considerations would be:

• First, to exercise regularly.
• Second, to become aware of my eating habits, avoid oil, cheese and the things that add to unhealthy fat in the body.
• Third, to free me of stress.

Now, how long do you want to follow these? The answer is simple – for as long as you wish to stay fit!

Exercising regularly is like ‘one Kaizen a day keeps the doctor away’. What is Kaizen? It’s a Japanese word that means to ‘change for better’, and ‘continuous improvement’. It is pivotal in making ‘Lean thinking’ a part of the way we work.

Let’s now move on to understanding the key to building a successful company. It’s to look at the company’s work from the customer’s point of view. Therefore, it is to essentially answer this question: Do I pay for this step?

We can optimally answer this question by understanding the 5 principles of Lean thinking – namely, value, value stream, flow, pull, and finally, perfection. The next part of this article focuses precisely on how we helped the company and its participants to answer the question, “Do I pay for this step?”. To do so, we have elaborated on how we used these Lean principles to enhance the present company’s operations and organizational culture as a whole.