Value Stream Mapping using Power BI
Subiksha Raghunathan
Supply Chain Data Scientist@Covestro | M.B.A & M.E in Operational Excellence
BENEFITS OF DIGITAL VALUE STREAM MAPPING:
As proved, Value stream mapping (VSM) is a well-established method for analyzing production processes, material flow and information flow. Despite extensive benefits, conducting VSM manually is becoming inefficient and ineffective due to increasing production and product complexity.
Digital Value stream mapping enhances data driven decision making because here we make use of available data at every possible means (also helps to identify the missing data that we need to create value).
Case Studies from The Boeing Company and Verizon:
1. The Boeing Company: Boeing implemented VSM to optimize resource utilization and reduce waste, leading to hundreds of millions of dollars in cost savings over two years. According to Lynda Van Vleet, Boeing's portfolio management systems product manager, "We always thought we were doing a good job of producing value until we started to work through this... I think a lot of organizations look at this as a way of saving money because you usually do, but if you start out looking at it as a way of creating value, that just comes along with it."
2. Verizon: Verizon utilized VSM to overcome organizational silos and improve collaboration. By fostering the free flow of information across teams, they gained deep insights into value streams, enabling more accurate decision-making regarding governance and staffing, resulting in multimillion-dollar cost savings. As Jason Newman, senior manager of systems engineering at Verizon, stated, "We had some siloed organizations, and everything worked great within the silo, but as the company introduced products that crossed boundaries... the method of everyone focused on their own space wasn’t cutting it."
So, why not leverage the use of available digital tools at our disposal? Instead of creating something that hangs on a wall, it becomes a tool people use daily. The Digital value stream map will automatically update because it is connected directly to the machines and is collecting information from the shop floor 24/7. This approach of VSM is a literal digital twin of the manufacturing process. Also, the digital approach wins over the traditional approach when it comes to identifying variability in the process. For example, in traditional value stream mapping, the process times are usually represented as an average, but in real time it is important to consider the variability in the process than the mean. Therefore, it is very important to show measures of variation and distributions in addition to the mean value. Statistical measures such as the range and standard deviation?can be employed using BI tool. It also helps us to drill down or pops to show a histogram of the distribution.
BI Solution:
BI systems are very good at taking fragmented information across disparate sources, consolidating that information together and then providing cohesive views of that data.
These systems will also provide for ongoing data collection from any of the source systems such as ERP, MES and even IIOT. The downside with these tools is that none of them have the mapping outputs pre-configured (discussed in the article). It must be done as part of an initial implementation. This includes the creation of the display widgets such as appear in the value stream map itself. However, once that initial process has been completed, the system should be reasonably easy to modify going forward.
Required data:
Setting the scope of our value stream is a very crucial step of both traditional VSM & Digital VSM. Without boundaries, there will be excess and unnecessary energy expenditure when it comes to traditional VSM and in digital VSM we will need to load a large amount of data which is certainly not feasible for the performance of the tool.
Before starting your value stream mapping, set the boundaries on where the map would begin and end. For example, will it run from sourcing raw materials to storage? Or to delivery and customer service and complaints.?
As we know that a total VSM consists of Material and Information flow. Here in our case, we consider the case of material flow alone which means we start our VSM analysis immediately after the order is released into production.
A step-by-step guide with power bi:
Step 1: Create a visual diagram of the value stream map using Microsoft Visio (Other free tools like Lucidchart, draw.io, Gliffy are also available). But here, i am specifically making the use of Visio software as I will be able to integrate with Power BI easily in the following steps. Visio provides pre-built symbols and templates necessary for value stream mapping, making it an ideal choice.
Step 2: Map each element in the Visio diagram with corresponding data fields in your dataset. Right-click on each element, go to Properties, and assign unique identifiers (IDs). Ensure that these identifiers match the corresponding entries in your dataset. For example, each stage in the processes can be labelled according to their flow as 1, 2, 3 etc., and a column in your dataset can be named "Process" with entries matching these IDs.
Step 3: Import your data into Power BI using the Get Data option. Power BI offers flexibility in accessing various data sources such as Excel, CSV, SQL databases, and cloud databases like Azure. Clean and model the data as necessary before visualization.
Step 4 : Add the Power BI Visio visual to your report. This visual is not native to Power BI, so you'll need to search for it in the Visualization pane by clicking on the ellipse. Once added, drag the required columns to the appropriate fields in the visual (most important is ID field so that the data is mapped correctly).
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Step 5: Connect the visual to your Visio diagram by saving it in OneDrive or SharePoint. Open the diagram in a web browser, click on the three dots, and select "EMBED" to obtain the embedded URL. Copy and paste this URL into Power BI and click connect. Power BI will import the visual from the URL, displaying the corresponding data in the elements of the diagram.
Step 6: Enable real-time data updates for your value stream mapping. Set automatic page refreshes for daily monitoring of process performance. Additionally, utilize the formatting options available in Power BI, by expanding the field mapping area in the visual and set up conditional formatting, positioning, font style and alignment. Not only the VSM but also relevant KPIs can be visualized separately which gives us an overall insight.
Step 7: Once everything is set up, publish the report to your organization's server and configure viewing restrictions as needed. Now, your value stream mapping process is equipped to generate insights and drive improvements in manufacturing operations through data analysis.
Advantages of DVSM with Power BI:
Utilizing VSM as a digital tool within Power BI offers the advantage of fostering continuous improvement rather than being confined to a fixed-term project. By hosting weekly team meetings on the VSM dashboard, created and shared across multiple stakeholders, ongoing progress can be monitored and discussed collaboratively.
The user-friendly interface of Power BI ensures that team members can quickly grasp and adapt to the platform, facilitating seamless integration into existing workflows. Additionally, with support for various data sources, real-time tracking becomes effortless, enabling proactive identification of deviations from planned targets. Moreover, the capability to set event triggers further enhances responsiveness to dynamic operational changes, ensuring timely interventions for continuous enhancement.
Limitations of Power BI as a VSM Tool:
While Power BI offers robust capabilities as a VSM tool, there are some limitations to consider:
1. Learning Curve: Mastery of Power BI involves navigating various tools and nuances, which can pose a steep learning curve and require significant time investment to set up dashboards effectively.
2. Limited Data Visualization Options: Presently, data in Power BI can only be visualized in text or color formats, lacking support for data graphics. Even preconfigured data graphics from Visio may not translate seamlessly when loaded into Power BI.
3. Requirement for Unpivoted Data: Power BI necessitates the use of unpivoted columns for displaying data values, rendering pivoted tables unsuitable. This approach may inflate memory usage in cached files, affecting performance.
4. Inflexibility in Unit Representation: The constraint of using unpivoted columns restricts the ability to represent different data with their respective units. For instance, while OEE may be represented as a percentage, time-related factors may require time units. This limitation poses challenges in accurately conveying diverse data within a single visualization.
Despite these limitations, Power BI remains a valuable tool for VSM, offering extensive functionalities for data analysis and visualization, though with considerations for its constraints.
Disclaimer: The contents of this article are based solely on my personal learning experiences and professional insights. Any opinions or views expressed herein are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer or any organization with which I am affiliated. I welcome feedback and constructive criticism on the content presented.
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General Manager | Plant Operations, Lean, TPM, TQM
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