Page 156 - How To Implement Lean Manufacturing

134 Cha pte r Se v e n

Second, we often deal with three types of value stream maps, Present State value
steam maps (PSVSM), Future State value stream maps (FSVSM), and Ideal State value
stream maps (ISVSM). Each has its own merits and problems.
The PSVSM is just what it says. However, a word of caution: finish them. Very often
I see early efforts of PSVSM get derailed by starting to make changes, even before the
mapping is done.
Next are the Ideal state value stream maps. Quite frankly they are the best and
worst of value stream mapping. They are the best because they ask you to think about
the ultimate in waste removal, which will achieve the best percentage of value-added
work and the absolute shortest lead times. They are the worst because they are the least
defined—and if you are not careful, a waste of time. For example, what technology do
you use for the ideal state? Do you have unlimited capital? Can you move the plant?
These are serious boundary questions that must be answered. Well, my answer to that
is to simply state the assumptions on the ISVSM, and go from there. I have seen a num-
ber of seemingly impossible ideas reach fruition because someone spent some time
making an ISVSM. The trick is to stretch the boundaries of your paradigms, but still
have some possibility of achieving, at least in part, the ideal state.
Finally, the real driver to most improvement activities is the FSVSM. They should
not be “ideal.” Rather, they should be “achievable,” and generally in a reasonably short,
say three- to six-month time frame. My experience is that I have yet to see a FSVSM
completed as it was drawn. Halfway through the kaizen activities, new ideas emerge, a
new PSVSM is made—along with a new FSVSM—and the cycle starts all over again.
Third, the VSM is designed to be a tool to highlight activities. In Leanspeak, we
call them kaizen activities, for waste reduction. Once highlighted, the purpose of a VSM
is to communicate the opportunities so they may be prioritized and acted upon. Hence,
the prioritization and action must follow the VSM. Otherwise, it is waste just like any
other waste.
Fourth, who should make values stream maps? Well, since the purpose is action,
those involved in the action decisions need to make the maps—or at a minimum be
on the team that makes the map. There is no rationale for having a VSM specialist make
all the maps—that is counterproductive. The benefits of value stream mapping do not
come solely from the creation of a map. Instead, they come from the interaction of the
people making the maps, with the process and making the observations on the floor,
which are necessary to gather the information for the value stream maps. In short, there
needs to be a management presence in the value stream map construction process.
Fifth, how do I start to make my VSM? Well, walk the value stream, starting closest
to the customer and working backwards up the value stream.
Sixth, should these VSMs be handmade or computer generated? I make mine by
hand. Most serious practitioners make them by hand. There are a few advantages of
having them on software, such as transportability, quick update on calculations, and
easier use in presentations. However, what I have seen is that the people then tend to
get stuck in the office, which totally undermines the benefit of the VSM. On balance, I
believe handmade—in pencil—is a clear choice.
Two value stream maps are included. The PSVSM and FSVSM from QED Motors.
Read the story of QED Motors in Chap. 16 for all the details and see if you can make the
map from the process information … everything is there.