Step 2 in Value Stream Mapping

Create a Current State Value Stream Map

Now, let’s turn this diagram into a Current State Value Stream Map. The original working session for developing a value stream map is very manual, and as I mentioned earlier, is best done on a white board or with Post-it Notes®. I prefer the flexibility of Post-it Notes®, and a real world working session using this technique is shown in the attached Figure. As you can clearly see, the current state map covers an entire wall, which is very typical when defining how a process is really operating.

As the name implies, the goal is to find out how the processing is currently operating today, not how the SOP says things “should” be or how it was “designed” to be. The goal is to capture reality onto a piece of paper; the current state. Use a stopwatch for the time studies and determine the actual times where practical. While the VSM will eventually be finalized with software, the initial map should be created with Post-it Notes® because there will be frequent changes as the team goes through this process. Once the process has been defined, the Post-it Notes® map can be digitized with flowcharting software. Value stream maps use a variety of unique symbols that are not used in traditional flowcharts and diagrams, and while Word and Excel can be used for flowcharting, for ease of use, professional flowcharting software like Visio should be used.