Value Stream Management: Eight Steps to Planning, Mapping, and Sustaining Lean Improvements

by Don Tapping

The Value Stream Management System simplifies the planning process for lean implementation, ensuring quick deployment and greater success. It links the metrics and reporting required by management with the lean tools needed on the manufacturing floor. The central feature of this illustrative and engaging book is the value stream management storyboard, a tool representing an eight-step process for lean implementation. The storyboard brings together people, tools, metrics, and reporting into one visual document. The authors stress the importance of reaching beyond single-point kaizens to ensure a sustainable lean implementation process. Many people use the value stream map as an individual tool, but not within the context of a proven overall system. Value Stream Eight Steps to Planning, Mapping, and Sustaining Lean Improvements shows you how to use mapping as part of a complete system for lean implementation. The final outcome of Value Stream Management is the creation of a complete, visual plan for lean transformation - and the mastery of the skills required to implement that plan. Instead of just using Toyota Production System Tools, the authors encourage you to create your own lean production system. Value Stream Management will help you to complete your process and sustain it! Along with this book you receive downloadable resources containing a lean assessment tool, a storyboard template, useful charts, a team charter, forms, reports, and worksheets.

Genres: Business

176 pages, Paperback

First published February 20, 2002

Reviews

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know a little bit about lean as specifically applied to administrative work. I have participated in three events at my company. We have generally followed similar methodology as described with some different tools. I learned about a handful of new tools in the book like kanban cards and how to level work. The example is a little outdated because if really focuses on paper movement, which is no longer an issue. Instead we waste time on hundreds of emails a day and no one else can see our inbox and monitor it. Even shared mailboxes don’t quite improve this. It is thorough enough to get you started, but I don’t think anyone could run a lean event successfully from this text on their own. The example helps for understand, but is outdated and it takes some imaginative leaps to apply to todays work environment.

[Steve Whiting · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent introduction to Value Stream management in a manufacturing setting - easy to read, covers a lot of ground and would provide a really good framework for training people who were preparing to apply lean to their processes.

I'd love to see a version of this book applied to services rather than manufacturing