The truth is hidden in the important details. It is the basis for justifying the need to change and improve.

The “important details” of the value stream map tells you how far the order travels, how much time is spent at each step in the process, who touches the order, how long does the process take, what quantity is needed, what equipment is used, how much inventory in process, change over time per customer order, how long does it take to pull all the needed materials together.

It is likely there are many more important details in your customer order fulfillment process. As you layout the map with details you will find them.

Now that you have all the important details on the map, you can begin to analyze and locate the bottle necks in the process. Find the cause for delays or quality issues. You will likely see what can be improved in the process. Isolate and eliminate the non value added steps in the process. In simple terms take out the waste in the process.

This is the time to take action. There are differing points of view on when to begin eliminating waste. Some would say get the waste well defined and others may say it needs more discussion and analysis. Both are good things to do.

Most find the best thing to do is to just do it and make adjustments as you go. It is the only way to become an expert and begin improving the process. It is also important that you begin so that you will find the root cause of the problem.

You have arrived at the next step in the Learning to See journey. It is also the fun part of the journey. You can begin visioning the “future state” of the value stream mapping process.

Whoa!? Future state you say? What is the future state?

That is a topic for next time.

Have fun and remember it does not have to be perfect to make an improvement, just do it!