In order to accomplish many of the lean concepts in a business environment the logical first step is to understand current process thoroughly. Value stream mapping is a good exercise to start with in understanding all of the facets of a process that you are investigating. At the end of the day the objective is to completely map out all pieces of the process without attempting to improve or change anything. This will allow you to also establish a baseline to measure any changes or improvements against. When I am conducting or leading a value stream mapping exercise it is typically a wonderful learning experience that I like to make fairly inclusive. If we are looking at a production line I will include people from sales, operations, finance and any other functional area that has an interest in improving the process. I would also suggest that it is important to leverage resources actively participating in the process during this phase to really understand the current state of the process to develop a good solid base during the value stream-mapping phase. Without this beginning phase it is really difficult to drive sustainable improvement in the process as well as understand the true value of the changes.

QUESTION What alternative first steps could you use instead of value stream mapping to gain a solid baseline prior to innovating the process?

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