Archive for Value Steam Mapping
A Collaborative approach to Value Stream Mapping
Posted by: | CommentsValue Stream Mapping has been a practice that was first introduced in the book Learning to See: Value Stream Mapping to Add Value and Eliminate MUDA by Mike Rother and John Shook. This groundbreaking workbook, which has introduced the value-stream mapping tool to thousands of people around the world, breaks down the important concepts of value-stream mapping into an easily grasped format. Dan Jones and Jim Womack followed that book with Seeing the Whole Value Stream which took the mapping methodology through an improvement process that converted the traditional value stream of isolated operations to a broader view of the entire value stream.
Recently the co-authors, Womack and Jones in response to feedback asking for examples in other sectors and questions about how to understand supply chain costs more accurately, have added five essays to the book for this new edition. These essays demonstrate how real companies have taken on the challenge of improving their extended value streams working in collaboration with their suppliers and customers.
The new essays for the book are:
- Spreading value-stream thinking from manufacturers to final customers through service providers—extending the wiper example.
- Applying extended value-stream thinking to retail—a look at the Tesco story.
- Learning to use value-stream thinking collaboratively with suppliers and customers.
- Product costing in value-stream analysis.
- Seeing and configuring the global value stream.
The one particular essay that stood out to me was Learning to use value-stream thinking collaboratively with suppliers and customers. The objective of this effort was to garner their suppliers and customer in a true collaborative effort to create value. It was the first time any of these five companies had ever viewed a shared value stream. They started with a few modest objectives for improvement. However, it turned into much more than an improvement effort but rather a deeper type of organizational relationship. The reason they cited was that they learned how to communicate with each other. You can view the experience: Video of Matthew Lovejoy’s presentation on the Acme Alliance story.
This story exemplifies the power of collaboration and what can be developed from it. Collaboration in a Value Stream Mapping exercise can be a difficult process. You open your doors to all the skeletons you have in the closet for both vendors and customers to see. Most people are surprised by the reactions. It is typically not one of disgust or insecurity but rather a helping hand is extended and many times consideration that certain requirements may not even be needed.
The spirit of this venture serves a valuable insight that co-producing, co-creation and open innovation is not as far-fetched as it may seem. A single Value Stream Mapping process led to four years of increasing engagement. I wonder what would happen is they shorten that iteration a bit?
P.S. If your 1st edition of the book looks like mine, it’s time for the 2nd edition anyway.
Related Information:
Six Sources of Influence in Change
The Difficulty of Mastery = The Difficulty of Lean
Start with Journey Mapping vs Value Stream Mapping
Value Stream Mapping
Drawing with Excel in 30 minutes!
Posted by: | CommentsUsing Microsoft Excel as a drawing tool is a surprise to most of us. When we think of using Excel, we think of creating a spreadsheet and maybe if we are adventurous creating a graph. But there is a hidden power contained in Excel, the ability to draw. One of my most popular blog post of all time, Draw your Value Stream Map in Excel includes a You Tube video of the rendering of a Excel drawing depicting Transformer (You remember the Children’s heroes). If you need proof take a look at these drawings from The Spreadsheet Page:
It turns out that Debbie is an artist, and she uses Excel as her primary drawing software (now that’s odd!). The figure below shows an example. The image on the left was scanned from a catalog. The image on the right was created by Debbie, using Excel’s drawing tools. The drawing consists of hundreds of individual shapes, combined together
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According to Debbie, "Most of my drawings do not take longer than two hours or four hours max to get the outlines done and the fill colors put in. I often use photographs that I’ve scanned and inserted into Excel, then I use the drawing tools to change the photographs into drawings. As you have already noticed I’ve become quite proficient at drawing on Excel, so it doesn’t take me as much time as it did when I first started, now that I’ve figured out all the tricks.
I have a tendency to use other more “graphic” software packages in lieu of Excel but I am amazed at the simplicity of using Excel once you start. Why should I care? Most of the tools of Lean are visual in nature. In fact, one of the sayings that have been very common in Lean is “If you’re not visual, you’re not Lean.” However, in Lean and with any continuous improvement methodology metrics are important. So, if you want to be successful you cannot divorce the visual aspect and the metrics. Excel offers the marriage between the two. Listen to the advantages described by Dean Ziegler of Systems2win:
Can you become proficient in only 30 minutes? Watch these Systems2win videos to learn how:
Types of Drawing Objects
How to Select Objects
How to use Excel as a drawing tool
Systems2win will exhibit at the Dallas AME Conference
Posted by: | CommentsSystems2win will exhibit at the AME, Association of Manufacturing Excellence, Dallas 2011 International Lean conference to be held October 24-28, 2011. Systems2win is a supplier of Lean and Six Sigma software tools and will be highlighting their Value Stream Mapping, A3 Management tools and their Standard Work template.
Dean Ziegler, founder and owner of Systems2win says, “Along with the Value Stream Mapping, A3 and Standard Work Management templates, we will also be highlighting our recent Multi-Language Excel templates. Now with a simple click of a button, every Systems2win Excel template can switch between English and another language." Dean also added, "Our software actually provides a learning platform that strengthens your Lean experience. It is not an additional step in the process; it is part of your Lean journey.”
Systems2win booth will display their collection of Lean and Six Sigma software that are bundled in the following groups:
- Lean Tools
- Value Stream Mapping
- Kaizen and Project Tools
- Six Sigma Tools
- Free Training Tools
Also, in the booth will be yours truly providing a High Level Overview of the product! Stop by and say hello if you are there!
These bundles have been created to provide an organized structure in supporting the above process. In these bundles, the Lean Management tools of Hoshin Kanri, Standard Work, A3, Fishbone, SMED, 5S, Setup Reduction, Balance Scorecard and more are supported. In addition, the training tools provide not just introductory Lean material but a comprehensive Lean and Excel learning tools that are embedded in the templates providing you help and assistance on exactly what you need, when you need it. They are also designed so that a training course can be developed separate from the templates. An overview of the tools:
About Systems2win: Systems2win provides business process improvement tools and training to companies all over the globe. People are provided with easy-to-use fill-in-the-blanks Excel templates that come with self-help online training to improve the speed and reduce the cost of every step of your project. Systems2win templates were originally developed during 14 years of manufacturing systems consulting by the founder of Systems2win, Dean Ziegler, CPIM. The Systems2win templates and online training has been field proven, and continue to be continuously improved by hundreds of Systems2win clients.
Related information:
Why the Lean SALES PDCA Cycle was Created!
Lean needs Marketing, more than Marketing needs Lean!
Will Lean always internalize the customer?
Customer Experience more powerful than the Supply Chain?
