{"id":5205,"date":"2022-09-01T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-01T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost:10003\/the-lean-post\/articles\/10-tips-for-getting-the-most-value-from-value-stream-mapping\/"},"modified":"2023-10-18T14:08:44","modified_gmt":"2023-10-18T18:08:44","slug":"10-tips-for-getting-the-most-value-from-value-stream-mapping","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lean.org\/the-lean-post\/articles\/10-tips-for-getting-the-most-value-from-value-stream-mapping\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Tips for Getting the Most Value from Value-Stream Mapping"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Most organizations see only a tiny amount of the potential benefits of a value stream improvement effort built around a mapping exercise. Such an exercise can be a powerful organizational development tool as well as one for improving value-stream performance on quality, efficiency<\/a>, and safety. However, before you embark on such an endeavor, here are 10 key things to keep in mind:<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Value
A well-drawn map is a storyboard that clearly and concisely documents how a value stream (or process<\/a> or work<\/a>flow) currently works \u2014 and<\/em> how well it works or doesn\u2019t, according to John Shook, LEI Senior Advisor and prolific author of books about lean management.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

1. Pick Processes (Value Streams) That Matter<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In other words, select value streams (or value-stream segments) that link to your strategic plan, annual goals, balanced scorecard performance, etc. Doing this means you must be clear about your customers, what they require from these value streams (not programs) by which you deliver value to them, and how well those streams are currently performing. Publicly funded companies may also have other stakeholders to consider as well. Picking value streams that impact organizational performance will help justify the time and effort required to map well and improve the work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Start With a Win \u2014 For the People Doing the Work<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Lean management is full of paradoxes, and here is one. Sometimes you may need to select a value stream for improvement based on the potential impact on your employees. Choosing to map and improve a value stream to benefit employees is especially important when people are just learning the lean improvement methodology. For example, it\u2019s not by accident that CEO Paul O\u2019Neill started his turnaround at Alcoa with a focus on employee safety. Once he demonstrated that commitment, he got full cooperation for other improvement efforts from the union and workers on the front lines. Likewise, starting with a value stream to reduce high employee dissatisfaction or undesired turnover builds support for future improvement efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Be Clear About Scope \u2014 And Don\u2019t Creep!<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

We all want to end world hunger and achieve world peace \u2014 but without focus, we won\u2019t achieve anything. Most high-level value streams are really more like value rivers<\/em>. Sorting out the major contributing streams and identifying those that need to be improved to impact organizational performance increases the value of your mapping and improvement efforts. And determining up front where the value stream starts and stops and what is in and out of scope for people doing improvement work prevents a lot of wandering in the wilderness. Address these and other issues before<\/em> you start a mapping exercise in the form of a Value Proposition or Team Charter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Get the Right People on the Bus<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Involve the value-creators \u2014 the people closest to the work process you\u2019d like to improve (at whatever level that work is performed) and in all the critical processes involved in developing the map(s), defining problems, and crafting solutions. See together, learn together, act together, and improve together. And, wherever possible, ensure to include suppliers and customers, not just doers. If you have to map with a small group, make sure you socialize their draft products with the value creators for the value stream. Keep a regular communication link to all levels of the organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. GO AND SEE how it\u2019s really<\/em> done!<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Supplement spreadsheet data with direct observation and interviews at the gemba<\/a><\/em>. You\u2019ll be amazed at the things you learn that never appear on spreadsheets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Eat the Elephant One Bite at a Time \u2014 but Plan to Eat It All \u2014 or at Least As Much as You Need<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

As you begin your improvement effort, try to get action teams involved in rapid learning cycles within two to three weeks after concluding a mapping exercise. Craft quick wins and 30-, 60-, and 90-day plans for implementation, but think about a future state that is 18 to 24 months out. In other words, nest those short-term improvement efforts in the context of a longer-range vision. That way, people have some sense of where they\u2019re headed, and you have insurance against doing improvement work that optimizes some portions of the value stream but sub-optimizes others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Count, Count, Count \u2014 But Count the Right Things<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Before you start, be clear about the \u201cvital signs\u201d for your value stream \u2014 the few key metrics that tell you whether the value-stream performance is healthy \u2014 and the key few metrics for the individual processes that make up that value stream. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be sure to measure things that are meaningful to the people doing the work, allowing them to see the improvement and how their work links back to the higher-level organizational goals and metrics. Use existing information systems when you can, but you may need to measure manually when you are getting started. If so, keep your measurements simple<\/em>. Otherwise, they won\u2019t get done \u2014 or done honestly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. Experiment Before You Implement<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Insist on experimentation. Establish a ground rule that no \u201csolution\u201d gets implemented hasn\u2019t been tested to confirm that it will address the problem for which it was identified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. Don\u2019t Be Afraid to Take It Outside<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Some of the most critical value stream redesigns involve working across functions and organizations. Indeed, here\u2019s where value-stream mapping<\/a> comes into its own. Many organizations jump from a current state map to point kaizen<\/em><\/a> improvement. However, when value-stream mapping cross-functional or cross-organizational value streams, ensure all key stakeholders agree on the key problems that need to be solved and reach a consensus on the future-state vision (in the form of a map). Agreement on a vision that eliminates or addresses those problems turns value-stream mapping into a powerful tool for system-level problem-solving<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. Make It Fun! (Or at Least Not Painful)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve already alluded to the importance of engaging people in improvement activities that are personally meaningful to them. However, we\u2019ve seen many of our client organizations get downright creative regarding engaging staff members in the socialization of maps and improvement plans and involving them in rapid learning experiments. Such efforts include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n