Value Stream Mapping is a lean management method for documenting and analyzing the end-to-end process steps that take a service or product from its request to its delivery to the customer. This method can be practiced with essentially any value chain and differs from typical process mapping. The information gathered and presented in a VSM is higher, covering more areas of interest at a broader scope. In contrast, a typical process map has more detail for a minor part of the value stream.
Additionally, VSM goes beyond merely considering the flow of the project, as it also illustrates the information flows and communication systems involved.
Using the right software throughout the VSM process empowers your team to make a more impactful, sustainable change in less time and with fewer resources.
In any value stream mapping event, it's essential to start by identifying the scope of the map and defining the problem to be addressed.
The entire planning and preparation process can be managed in KaiNexus, from sharing the VSM charter to assigning preparation tasks and gathering relevant baseline process data. In KaiNexus, a team can be quickly pulled together and assigned various roles to assist in planning the VSM event, regardless of location, shift, or position.
Before thinking about the future state of a value stream, the current state must first be fully understood. Using KaiNexus to manage data collection for necessary items such as process times, lengths of delays, and the capacity of each step ensures that the data is accessible to all team members for monitoring. KaiNexus charts display data in customizable, easy-to-read graphs, helping you track trends and see progress.
The VSM can be drawn using whatever method your staff is currently comfortable with (on whiteboards, software, paper, etc.), with an image (or another digital file) of the map that can be attached to your VSM event in KaiNexus. This way, the map is preserved in your KaiNexus repository for future reference.
As opportunities for improvement in the value stream are identified, users can enter them into the KaiNexus system from any device, wherever they are. The leaders of the VSM event can ensure that the right people are assigned the task of managing those opportunities over time.
KaiNexus makes it easy to see the scope of the opportunities for improvement produced by the VSM, using active notifications to ensure that all opportunities are assigned in a timely fashion.
To draw a future state VSM, it's important to work as a team to brainstorm improvements and create a better VSM that reduces the number of steps, reduces rework, or reduces the delays between steps - leading to faster service and better quality.
KaiNexus makes this easy by allowing team members to comment directly on each opportunity for improvement, with active notifications keeping everyone in the loop each step of the way.
Again, attaching an image of your future state VSM ensures that this knowledge is not lost upon completion of the event; KaiNexus creates an institutional body of knowledge accessible to all of your staff, anywhere, anytime.
Managing the opportunities for improvement that work toward your future state VSM in KaiNexus gives you unparalleled visibility into the progress and impact of your improvement efforts, both individually and for the entire VSM event. KaiNexus improves the communication process by storing all updates, questions, and conversations directly to improve each opportunity. This, combined with active notifications, means that your event meetings can be spent strategizing rather than giving status updates on each opportunity. Teams can assign tasks, track data points, and attach files as needed to ensure their opportunities for improvement are implemented correctly and on time.
This work can continue after the event ends until each opportunity for improvement has been implemented. KaiNexus will ensure that nothing falls through the cracks, even sending out reminders to follow up on various opportunities for improvement in the future.
Our customers that manage their VSM events in KaiNexus know the impact of every event and each improvement. Do you?
Managing VSM events in KaiNexus means that the ROI and other benefits of the event are automatically displayed visually in clear, concise reports. As each opportunity for improvement is resolved, users calculate and log the outcome and impact of the opportunity in a configurable, standard resolution process so that leaders can see accurate, real-time impact metrics.
KaiNexus creates an institutional body of knowledge for organizations that ensure their improvement efforts have a sustained impact. Storing all opportunities for improvement, outcomes, and impacts in a single location ensures that this information is available to all staff in the future. That way, they can search the system to see what work has been done in an area they're looking to improve and see why current processes were developed.
This allows your staff to benefit from the work of other teams, ensuring your VSM events have the maximum impact possible.
You're doing VSM events because you want to improve your organization and meet your strategic goals. That's nearly impossible, though, when each event stands alone with little communication between teams, limited visibility into the work and the results, and poor impact measurement and reporting.
VSM software solves this problem by increasing visibility into every event, every improvement, and every area of the organization. Leaders can quickly see who is engaged, where additional coaching is needed, the impact of events, and progress made toward strategic goals.
KaiNexus gets the entire organization working together to solve your organization's most pressing problems.
KaiNexus empowers leading organizations in every industry to start, spread and sustain their improvement cultures.
Wherever you are in your improvement journey, KaiNexus will help you take it to the next level with unprecedented visibility, communication, and standardization.