Value Stream Mapping Basics

A Value Stream Map (VSM) is a lean tool that visualizes the flow of materials and information from raw material to the customer, highlighting value-added versus non-value-added steps and quantifying lead time.

Key VSM metrics

Metric	Definition
Lead time (LT)	Total elapsed time from order to delivery
Process time (PT)	Actual time spent working on the part (value-added)
Cycle time (CT)	Time between units coming off a process
Takt time	Available production time / customer demand rate
Push arrow	Batch pushed to next operation regardless of demand
Pull / supermarket	Downstream triggers upstream production (kanban)

VSM process

Select a product family that shares similar process steps
Draw the current-state map: customer box, supplier box, process boxes with data, information flows, timeline
Calculate total LT and value-added time ratio = PT / LT
Identify waste: excess inventory triangles, long wait times, push flows
Draw future-state map: show the ideal flow with kaizen bursts marking improvement targets
Implement via kaizen events

CQE exam tips

The value-added ratio is typically 1–5% of total lead time in traditional manufacturing — most time is waiting.
A kaizen burst (starburst symbol) marks improvement opportunities on the future-state map.
Takt time = Available time / Demand. If takt = 60 s and cycle time > 60 s, the process is the constraint.

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