What needs to be finished first
The value stream to map is clearly delimited with start trigger and end event.
At least one Gemba Walk through the real process has happened, so facts exist instead of assumptions.
What needs to be ready before start
Long wall or digital board with horizontal flow; VSM symbol set; stickies for times; stopwatch or data export for cycle times.
One VSM facilitator; process owner; employees from every stream step; customer or customer representative; data person for metrics.
List of steps and owners; current lead time, cycle time, waiting times, first-pass yield per step; customer requirements; IT systems along the flow.
1-2 days workshop for current state, plus 0.5-1 day for future state
Wall with trigger left, customer right. Data box below each step for cycle time, waiting time, operators, availability. Information flow above, material flow below. Rule: data comes from observation, not wishful thinking.
The one question this method answers
Where do waiting time, rework, and waste emerge between trigger and delivery, and which two or three interventions improve lead time most?
Marker: Phase
| Step | Duration | Action | Hint |
|---|---|---|---|
1Phase 1: Customer and takt | 30 min | Define customer requirement: what is expected how often. Write end event and trigger. Compare current lead time and SLA. | If takt is unknown, the whole map is uncalibrated. At least use rough estimate with date and source. |
2Phase 2: Current-state map | 3-4 h | Step by step left to right: process step, operators, cycle time, first-pass yield, waiting time to next step. Information flow as arrows above. | Waiting times are the most important data. If only cycle time is captured, the main share of lead time is missing. |
3Phase 3: Mark waste | 60 min | Place Kaizen bursts on waste points. Walk through seven wastes: waiting, transport, motion, overproduction, inventory, rework, overprocessing. | If 30 bursts emerge, that is normal. This phase collects; prioritization comes in Future State. |
4Phase 4: Future-state map | 3-4 h | Draw future-state map from current state and bursts: merged steps, eliminated waits, pull instead of push where possible. Quantify lead-time target. | Future State is not a 5-year wish but reachable in 6-12 months. If target is unrealistic, plan several iterations. |
5Phase 5: Implementation plan | 60 min | Top-3 interventions from Future State with owner, deadline, success indicator. Kaizen bursts become backlog. Define review cadence. | If everything is tackled at once, nothing moves. Focus on three interventions and park the others. |
What comes out at the end
Two-page artifact: Current-State Map and Future-State Map with data boxes per step, lead-time sum, Kaizen bursts, plus intervention table with owner, deadline, success indicator.
Each iteration as own version with date. Previous current state becomes previous future state plus real data. Change log with interventions and their effect.
Compact working template for Value Stream Mapping with context, input, output artifacts, and next step.
What is this method used for?
Which question should be answered at the end?
Which data, observations, or materials are available?
Owner, date, success signal.
Concrete filled scenario, fictional example
Concrete filled scenario, fictional example
Trigger: New client signs authorization. End: First financial accounting sent.
Current lead time: 38 working days. SLA: 15 working days. Takt: 4 new clients/month.
Top Kaizen bursts
Future-state target: 14 working days in 6 months.
Interventions
Recognize symptoms and steer against them
Map shows only cycle times, lead time seems mysteriously high.
Waiting times are mandatory in every data box. If unknown, observe or ask, do not omit.
Numbers come from manager, not observation; employees know different values.
Gemba before VSM. If number is not evidenced, tag it as hypothesis and replace with real values.
Lead time should drop from 38 to 5 days, nobody believes it.
Realistic target in 6-12 months. Plan several iterations.
Material flow is clean, delays come from email chains and unclear approvals.
Information flow separately above. Per arrow, capture medium and latency.
Only managers in room, map reflects org chart instead of real flow.
At least one person per step in workshop or separate Gemba visits.
Done signals checkable in under a minute
Go to the profile for purpose, similar methods, and sources or continue to the next method in the catalog.