How can you design future state scenarios with value stream mapping?

1 Define your goals

Before you start creating your future state map, you need to have a clear vision of what you want to achieve. What are the main problems or challenges that you want to solve? What are the key performance indicators (KPIs) that you want to improve? How do you measure the value that you deliver to your customers? Setting SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) will help you align your future state with your strategic objectives and customer needs.

2 Analyze your current state

The next step is to review your current state map and identify the sources of waste and inefficiency in your value stream. You can use the seven wastes of lean (overproduction, inventory, motion, waiting, transportation, overprocessing, and defects) as a framework to spot the areas of improvement. You can also calculate metrics such as cycle time, lead time, takt time, value-added time, and process efficiency to quantify the performance of your current state. By analyzing your current state, you can find the root causes of your problems and prioritize your improvement actions.

3 Apply lean principles

Once you have a clear picture of your current state and your improvement opportunities, you can start applying lean principles to design your future state. Lean principles are the guidelines that help you create more value for your customers while using fewer resources. For example, 'pull' is a principle that involves producing only what the customer demands and when they demand it, to avoid overproduction and inventory. Additionally, 'flow' entails eliminating interruptions and bottlenecks in the value stream and ensuring a smooth and continuous flow of materials and information. 'Takt' is a principle that aligns the production rate with the customer demand rate, to balance capacity and avoid waste. Moreover, 'Kaizen' is a principle that implements continuous improvement cycles to monitor and adjust processes, while 'standardization' establishes clear and consistent methods and procedures for value-adding activities to ensure quality and efficiency.

4 Draw your future state map

Using the same symbols and format as your current state map, you can draw your future state map based on the lean principles that you applied. Your future state map should show how you plan to eliminate or reduce the waste and inefficiency that you identified in your current state. You should also include the metrics that you expect to achieve in your future state, such as cycle time, lead time, value-added time, and process efficiency. Your future state map should be realistic and attainable, but also challenging and ambitious.

5 Develop an action plan

The final step is to develop an action plan that outlines the steps and resources necessary to implement your future state. This plan should be detailed and specific, but also flexible and adaptable to changing conditions and feedback. The plan should include the scope and objectives of your improvement project, the roles and responsibilities of your team members and stakeholders, the timeline and milestones of your project, the budget and resources of your project, the risks and assumptions of your project, as well as the communication and evaluation methods of your project. Following this action plan will enable you to execute your future state and monitor progress and results.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?