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Vacations

Vacations and holidays are an important part of job satisfaction and employee retention. They provide employees an opportunity to recharge their batteries and to live their lives outside of work. Managing vacations can be difficult in any company, but the challenge can be amplified in a Lean organization where there Read more…

Value

Value, simply put, is something that a customer is willing to trade for. The trade is most commonly done with cash, meaning that a customer is willing to pay for it. Not all things that are valued are paid for, though. Consider the numerous free downloads on websites (including our Read more…

Value Stream

A value stream is the series of activities that take a product from the supplier to the customer (for a physical product), or from the customer request to filling that need (for a service or informational product). It includes all the value-adding processes that the company performs in the Lean Read more…

Value Stream Map

A value stream map (VSM) is a drawing that depicts the flow of material and information along a value stream. A value stream is the linked series of processes that brings a product from raw materials into the hands of the customer, or that provide a service to a customer. Read more…

Value Stream Mapping / VSM Icon Set

Value Stream Mapping is an extremely powerful tool that gives an organization a unified understanding on how processes link together to form a ‘value stream’ that turns raw materials, components, and information into something that a customer wants.

While most Lean practitioners will instruct you to create the map with pencil and paper on the shop floor, there is a benefit to transferring that information onto a digital format that can be easily annotated, updated, and shared.

Value-Added Work

Value added work consists of the tasks that a customer is willing to pay for. Generally this is something that changes the form, fit, or function of raw materials. Note that it is very important to consider value from the customer perspective. In some cases, they will value something that Read more…

Variation

Variation is the enemy of processes. Variation in inputs or in the process itself causes variation in the output of the process. And that variation is perceived as poor quality. The layman’s definition of variation is simply fluctuation. More advanced definitions of variation categorize it in two ways. Common cause Read more…

Visual Control

A visual control builds on 5S. It uses organization and standardization to make an abnormal condition stand out. In a Lean environment it does three things: A visual control shows the current condition quickly. A visual control shows what the standard is quickly. A visual control links to an action. Read more…

Visual Management

Visual management is the concept of creating a more effective workplace by making its current conditions obvious at a glance. But visual management doesn’t stop there. For it to be effective, there must also be a predetermined course of action when a specific (whether normal or abnormal) condition is identified. Read more…

Volunteers

Volunteering plays a big role in continuous improvement. In many organizations, training is provided, but may not be mandatory. Prospective students may have to sign up for a “Corporate University” rather than be directed to attend by their supervisor. Projects are also often filled first with willing participants. Efforts to Read more…