Constantly evaluating the value stream using lean(case study) - A continuous vital cycle for efficiency

As more elements are added, scope modified , the relation between different steps within a process flow change. we might not be able to see it clearly at first but when we put things down on paper , we often realize the importance of it.

Recently I had the opportunity to Lead a project with lot of moving parts and high expectations . It gave me an opportunity to look at the different processes established in the project and to identify wastage.

I had started with Value Stream Mapping(VSM) of the entire process . Here the perspective matters as well , so It is very important to talk to as many ground operators as possible to capture the process flow and steps within that flow . For example : what happens when a certain email arrives , how does your team take action on it ? what would they do first? what do they do next and so on? Here the chronology matters as well , we would need to list down all the steps taken by on ground operators to make sure we are capturing the entire process.

Once I had the VSM set , it gave me an opportunity to look at different steps. From this come different metrics like total lead time , total process time , process efficiency cycle ,cycle time and so on. These were the real time measurements that i had gathered by personally monitoring the steps taken by on ground personnel . Once I had all these clearly on paper, it was pretty obvious where the wastage was , where the dependency was and where the weak links were in the entire process.

But then how is value stream different from process flow chart ?

From what I understood, Process flow chart is a simplified tool which only gives us sequence of activities and associated metrics but on other hand value stream enables us to work on bigger picture where we are trying to achieve global optima by understanding what impact will an intervention that we do by taking inputs from Lean have on final value offering to customer

Value Stream will help us identify potential improvements across process flow chart

It is also very important to understand what value stream to choose , there might be many value streams in a project or engagement , but which one to choose ? Few general pointers that I can think of are

• Autonomy
• Achievability
• Acceptability Informed Decision making and Increased responsibility , cost benefit analysis , planned duration for lean implementation , low hanging lean solutions, acceptability by top management , employee commitment all these are vital factors to take into consideration while choosing a value stream mapping .

In my Case once I had chosen the VSM and put it on paper. Many issues came out of that VSM .i.e Increased dependency, information asymmetry, unclear understanding of ground operators, unclear responsibilities of ground operators, lack of standardization. I had then also extracted value added time and non value added time from the VSM which actually was an eye-opener .

Measurement system analysis :

In my case I had used Minitab for capturing the time taken by operators ( using gauge R&R crossed in this case ) . This helped me confirm few issues mentioned above . How ? - well, by looking at the charts generated from simulation .i.e components of variation , measurement in time by parts, R charts by operators , measurement in time by operators, parts * operators interaction charts and x-bar charts as well.. These details give us variability and process inefficiencies.

Once I had these details , it was time to implement a pilot program type of resolution for a small group of operators and set piece of processes.

we worked on standardizing the processes , redesigning the VSM and following the new VSM to the paper . Then I had reconducted the same experiment/simulation to see if the changes were in favor. The results were quite good.

Improved Total Lead time , Improved process efficiency cycle , Improved process time re enforced our belief that yes, constantly improving VSM is vital in any industry . This effort had also taught us not to assume things , but to actually verify the efficiency of processes that are put in place. Many times when the projects get renewed , scope being modified , positions being opened ,timelines being changed, this should actually be mandatory from organization or project perspective - atleast that is what I had learned.

Biggest lessons learned for me with this experience was - we always assume our process is good and there are no issues within it until someone points it out or an issue occurs . But it is always advisable to keep revisiting the processes and map the VSMs regularly to make sure things are on top. This will help organizations and projects to be more efficient.

Also would not hurt to educate the team on Lean and encouraging them to start listing down process waste.