Value Stream Mapping
It’s a common exercise in the Agile arena to surface improvements in our day-to-day processes throughout the value chain
Overview
It’s a common exercise in the Agile arena to surface any potential improvement in our day-to-day processes. It comes from the lean manufacturing revolution that makes things visible by embedding materials and information on flow diagramming to introduce lean practices.
The idea is to bring together representatives of each vertical section of your System Map and collaborate to outline time spent in between each vertical area (think of it being in a queue ready to be consumed by the next vertical step), where you co-create ways to streamline it.
In Figure 8, the relationship between lead time and process time is shown. The top part of the diagram is a diagram of the process. As mentioned earlier on the left is an image representing the customer and on the right is the final product. In between are all the processes required to create the product. There is an additional line looping back to the world, sales and prospective customers. Below are two bars, one showing lead time and the other process time. This outlined the time spent working on parts of the product development, design and production, and waiting times in between each of these steps. For example, an order is received but it is three hours before the first part of the process begins. This process may take three hours, followed by a three hour wait time which incurs a delay before the next step in the process. Figure 8 shows eight periods of lead time, or delay between the six periods of process time. The aim of lean manufacturing is to minimise these wait times in order to shorten the overall time needed between the order being received and delivered.
You may have already started! Pick up your System Map. And enrich it with variables beyond 'time'; include materials and energy, find the leverage points and how can you streamline it throughout your whole value chain.
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Inge Vandijck
Belgium
I am an economist, impact entrepreneur, and consultant with over 20 years of experience working with large organizations in both the public and private sectors. My expertise lies in Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC), where I have provided consulting and training to help organizations navigate complex challenges and achieve their goals. I see sustainability as the core of risk management, where both threats (negative risks) and opportunities (positive risks) are integral to creating long-term value. As John Adams once said, "Every problem is an opportunity in disguise," and this perspective is central to my approach—transforming challenges into opportunities for sustainable growth and resilience. I named my company Bright Phoenix because the phoenix symbolizes resilience and transformation—qualities I help my clients cultivate as they rise to meet today’s challenges. Learning about the doughnut economic model was a true eureka moment for me. As I delved deeper, I realized I’m not alone—several others in the DEAL community have also expressed similar revelations. The model encapsulates my mission: to guide my clients to operate in the sweet middle of the doughnut—within planetary boundaries while respecting societal needs—ensuring their businesses thrive sustainably. What brings me to the DEAL community is this shared vision. I am excited to contribute my experience as a strategist, systems thinker, and storyteller, while learning from others in this inspiring network.
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I help connect people working on similar social or planetary projects (see GoodStrings.ai). I'm also an actionable learning strategist with a background in self-leadership (see JessieUpp.com)
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