A METHOD FOR FIGURING OUT WHERE THE HECK TO START

VALUE STREAM MAPPING

Ken Mugrage - ThoughtWorks Technology Evangelist

@kmugrage

@kmugrage

VALUE STREAM MAPPING IS A LEAN-MANAGEMENT METHOD FOR ANALYZING THE CURRENT STATE AND DESIGNING A FUTURE STATE FOR THE SERIES OF EVENTS THAT TAKE A PRODUCT OR SERVICE FROM ITS BEGINNING THROUGH TO THE CUSTOMER. AT TOYOTA, IT IS KNOWN AS "MATERIAL AND INFORMATION FLOW MAPPING”. IT CAN BE APPLIED TO NEARLY ANY VALUE CHAIN.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Value_stream_mapping

DEFINITION

@kmugrage

VALUE STREAM MAPPING

“EASY TO UNDERSTAND” EXAMPLES ARE EVERYWHERE

@kmugrage

VALUE OF THE CURRENT STATE MAP

GAIN A COMMON UNDERSTANDING

▸ You have to understand it to make it better

▸ Be honest, you don’t know how the software gets to prod

@kmugrage

VALUE OF THE CURRENT STATE MAP

ESTABLISH A BASELINE

▸ You need to know where you are now

▸ Helps identify waste

▸ Raise visibility

@kmugrage

CREATE A CURRENT STATE MAP

THE MEETING

▸ Everyone who does the work is involved

▸ “I know what they do” doesn’t count

▸ Don’t do this in ink, it’s going to change a lot

@kmugrage

CHOOSE A PROCESS

GET A TEENAGER TO DO HIS CHORES

▸ This has value to the whole team

▸ There is the perception of unfairness

@kmugrage

IDENTIFY THE PROCESS TO BE MAPPED

LAYOUT WHY YOU’RE DOING IT

▸ Value we expect from the process

▸ Challenges

▸ Constraints

@kmugrage

CURRENT STATE

MAP OUT THE STEPS

DISHES

5 Minutes 10 Minutes 30 Minutes

CLEAN UP DOG CRAP

GARBAGE AND RECYCLING

Process Time

@kmugrage

CURRENT STATE

ESTIMATE THE LEAD TIME

DISHES

5 Minutes 10 Minutes 30 Minutes

DOG CRAPGARBAGE AND RECYCLING

Lead Time

2 Minutes 5 Minutes

@kmugrage

CURRENT STATE

MAKE SURE EVERY STEP IS INCLUDED

DISHES

5 Minutes 10 Minutes 30 Minutes

DOG CRAPGARBAGE AND RECYCLING

2 Minutes 5 Minutes

YELL ABOUT CHORES

REMIND ABOUT CHORES

REMIND ABOUT CHORES

1 Minute 1 Minute 1 Minute

60 Minutes 60 Minutes 5 Minutes

@kmugrage

CURRENT STATE

COUNT THE ACTUAL WORK

▸ Cans have to be crushed

▸ Cardboard has to be broken down

▸ Receptacles are at opposite end of the earth HOUSE

ALLEY

STREET

2.4 Miles*

3.7 Miles*

* Estimate based on time it currently takes teenager to complete task

Recycling Bin

@kmugrage

CURRENT STATE

ACKNOWLEDGE VARIABLES IN YOUR PROCESS

▸ Lot is double sized

▸ There are two of them

@kmugrage

CURRENT STATE

PAY ATTENTION TO THE ROOM

▸ “I have a job now, I’ll pay you to do them”

▸ Too many input sources

▸ Expensive knives should just go in the dishwasher Disclaimer: Not my actual house

@kmugrage

CURRENT STATE

QUALITY ISSUES WITH DOING THE DISHES PROCESS

▸ Dirty dishes sitting in the sink

▸ Dried on stuff doesn’t really wash off easily

▸ Despite best effort, dog licking dishes in sink doesn’t help

@kmugrage

GETTING TO DESIRED STATE

DO THE DISHES - CURRENT STATE

DISHES ARRIVE FOR

PROCESSING

GET IPOD FIND HEADPHONES

NOT THOSE, THE OTHER

HEADPHONES

EMTPY DISHWASHER

LOAD DISHWASHER

WASH THE STUFF ON THE COUNTER THAT GOT MISSED

Total time - 30 minutes

@kmugrage

GETTING TO DESIRED STATE

CONSIDER DISRUPTIVE CHANGE

GET IPOD FIND HEADPHONES

NOT THOSE, THE OTHER

HEADPHONESEMTPY

DISHWASHER

ADD DISHES AS THEY BECOME

AVAILABLE

Total time - 10 minutesA few secondseach time

@kmugrage

DESIRED STATE

NEW STATE OF CHORES (YEAH, RIGHT, HE’S STILL A TEENAGER)

DISHES

5 Minutes 10 Minutes 10 Minutes

DOG CRAPGARBAGE AND RECYCLING

2 Minutes 5 Minutes

State Total Time to ValueProcess at start 180 Minutes

Eliminate Waste 57 Minutes

Optimize Sub Process 37 Minutes

@kmugrage

TAKEAWAYS

DID HE REALLY JUST DO A TALK ABOUT WASHING DISHES?

▸ You need a baseline

▸ The whole team participates

▸ Count the actual work

▸ Just stop doing the silly stuff

▸ Automate low hanging fruit first

@kmugrage

THANK YOUAsk me later about what we do at ThoughtWorks - They actually paid me to talk about dirty dishes