{"id":851,"date":"2024-11-07T13:10:36","date_gmt":"2024-11-07T13:10:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/leansixsigmaonline\/?p=851"},"modified":"2026-06-23T22:30:05","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T22:30:05","slug":"value-stream-mapping","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/leansixsigmaonline\/blog\/value-stream-mapping\/","title":{"rendered":"Value Stream Mapping: The Search for Adding Value and Eliminating Waste"},"content":{"rendered":"

What Is Value Stream Mapping (VSM)?<\/h2>\n

What is a value stream?<\/strong> A value stream represents the series of actions an organization takes to design, create, and deliver a product or service to its customers, from the initial idea to the final customer experience. Each step in this process is essential to adding value.<\/p>\n

Value stream mapping<\/strong> is a technique \u2014 developed from Lean manufacturing \u2014 that organizations use to create a visual guide of all the components necessary to deliver a product or service, with the goal of analyzing and optimizing the entire process.<\/p>\n

The process of creating a value stream map takes all the necessary people, processes, information and inventory, and displays them in a flowchart format. By visualizing all elements that go into creating a product or service, organizations can apply lean principles<\/a> to reduce waste in specific areas of their processes.<\/p>\n

In this article, we\u2019ll discuss what value stream mapping is and provide guidance for how to develop an effective value stream map.<\/p>\n

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Value Stream Mapping: An Essential Part of the LSS Toolkit<\/h2>\n

As companies and organizations face increasing competition and changing customer demands, they\u2019re using Lean management techniques to become better at what they do.<\/p>\n

Learning key Lean Six Sigma (LSS) tools can also help your career, by making you more attractive to new employers or enhancing the value you provide in your current workplace.<\/p>\n

It is important to note, however, that value stream maps are excellent tools within the Lean Six Sigma methodology. Learning specific tools in terms of how they benefit organizations and within the context of the LSS methodology provides the biggest benefit, and this is what makes Purdue\u2019s online Lean Six Sigma certificate programs<\/a> valuable \u2014they provide both the tools and the larger context in which they are used to more effectively lead LSS projects.<\/p>\n

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Value Stream Mapping Examples<\/h2>\n

Value stream maps can be created with flowchart software, and many products will have the core symbols necessary embedded within their symbol libraries. The example below shows what a typical value stream map might look like:<\/p>\n

\"value
\nSource: Wikipedia<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n

However, you can also create value stream maps on a white board and include post-its with additional information. This kind of map may look something like this:<\/p>\n

\"value<\/p>\n

Source: Wikipedia<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n

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