Value Stream Map | CWX Workflow Tools
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Value Stream Map

See where the days actually go.

A job that takes days usually needs only minutes of real work. A value stream map lays out every step with its process time and the wait before it, then rolls up the lead time and process-cycle efficiency. The gap between the two is where your improvement lives.

Time30–60 min
FormatInteractive map
SavesPDF · JSON record
← SMEDLean module

What it is

A map of every step a job passes through, with the time it spends being worked on versus the time it spends waiting. It exposes how little of the total lead time actually adds value.

When to use it

When a job takes days but only hours of real work. The map shows where the time really goes, which is almost always the waiting between steps.

How to run it

List the steps in order. For each, enter the process time and the wait before it, in the same unit. The tool rolls up lead time and process-cycle efficiency.

Enter process time and wait time in the same unit (for example, minutes). Process time adds value; wait time does not.

#Process stepProcess timeWait before
Saved

Worked example: a yard sign order

Across order entry, proof, print, cut, and pack, the actual process time totals about 40 minutes. But the waits between steps, mostly proof approval and a queue at the cutter, add nearly two days. Lead time dwarfs value-added time, so process-cycle efficiency is only a few percent. The map makes it obvious: chasing faster printing is pointless; the waiting is the problem.