This Week’s Topic:
Value Stream Mapping
Question: Our teams formed to create future state Value Stream Maps often find themselves bogged down in how to handle unusual situations and exceptions instead of looking at the big picture. Any suggestions on how to keep on track?
Insight: First of all, recognize that some discussion about exceptions is warranted. In a perfect world there wouldn’t be unusual situations but it’s worth spending some time to understand why they occur. Exceptions are a sign of variation and Six Sigma fundamentals teach us that reducing variation leads to more stable processes – and ultimately lower cost. If despite our best efforts exceptions to the normal flow still occur then the future state must be able to handle them.
With that understanding, if your team constantly finds itself off on tangents, try Value Stream Mapping starting from the end of the process and working toward the beginning. Experience shows that it helps a group focus on the big picture rather than become immersed in details. Another advantage is that it encourages the team to think about “Pulling” the product (or information) rather than “Pushing”.
It takes a bit of practice but you may find it an effective technique in some situations.
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