Lean value stream mapping for identifying waste and optimization opportunities. Creates current/future state maps with cycle time analysis and improvement recommendations.
Creates Lean value stream maps to visualize process flow, identify waste (TIMWOODS), and design improvements. Triggers when analyzing processes with bottlenecks, long lead times, or quality issues to calculate flow efficiency and recommend optimization opportunities.
/plugin marketplace add melodic-software/claude-code-plugins/plugin install business-analysis@melodic-softwareThis skill is limited to using the following tools:
Create Lean value stream maps to visualize flow, identify waste, and design improvement opportunities. Based on Lean manufacturing principles adapted for knowledge work.
A value stream is the sequence of activities required to deliver value to a customer, from request to delivery. Value stream mapping (VSM) visualizes this flow to identify:
| Waste | Description | Examples in Knowledge Work |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation | Moving work between locations | Handoffs between teams, tool switching |
| Inventory | Unfinished work waiting | Backlog, WIP, queued requests |
| Motion | Unnecessary movement | Context switching, searching for info |
| Waiting | Idle time | Approvals, blocked work, dependencies |
| Overproduction | Making more than needed | Unused features, premature optimization |
| Overprocessing | Doing more than required | Gold plating, excessive documentation |
| Defects | Errors requiring rework | Bugs, miscommunication, rework |
| Skills | Underutilized talent | Manual work that could be automated |
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What value are we delivering? | [Customer outcome] |
| Who is the customer? | [Internal/External customer] |
| Where does the stream start? | [Trigger/Request] |
| Where does it end? | [Value delivered] |
## Value Stream Definition
**Name:** Customer Order Fulfillment
**Trigger:** Customer places order
**End State:** Customer receives product
**Scope:** Order entry → Shipping (excludes manufacturing)
**Customer:** External retail customer
Observe actual work (gemba walk):
For each step, capture:
| Metric | Definition | How to Measure |
|---|---|---|
| Process Time (PT) | Active work time | Time actually working |
| Lead Time (LT) | Total elapsed time | Clock time start to finish |
| Wait Time (WT) | Time waiting | LT - PT |
| % Complete & Accurate (%C&A) | First-time quality | % not requiring rework |
## Current State Value Stream
| Step | Owner | PT | LT | %C&A | Inventory | Notes |
|------|-------|-----|-----|------|-----------|-------|
| Order Entry | Sales | 15m | 2h | 85% | 50 orders | Manual entry |
| Credit Check | Finance | 10m | 8h | 95% | 30 orders | Batch processing |
| Inventory Alloc | Warehouse | 5m | 4h | 90% | 20 orders | System lookup |
| Pick & Pack | Warehouse | 30m | 6h | 92% | 40 orders | Manual process |
| Ship | Logistics | 10m | 24h | 98% | 100 orders | Carrier pickup |
**Total Process Time:** 70 minutes
**Total Lead Time:** 44 hours
**Flow Efficiency:** 2.7% (PT / LT)
Flow Efficiency = Process Time / Lead Time × 100%
Example: 70 min / 2640 min = 2.7%
Interpretation:
25%: Excellent (rare for knowledge work)
## Waste Analysis
### Waiting (45% of lead time)
- Credit check batch processing: 8 hours → could be real-time
- Carrier pickup schedule: 24 hours → could be on-demand
### Inventory (150 orders WIP)
- Orders queue at each step
- No pull system in place
### Defects (15% rework at order entry)
- Manual data entry errors
- Missing required fields
### Overprocessing
- Full credit check for returning customers
- Duplicate data entry across systems
The constraint (bottleneck) limits the entire system:
## Bottleneck Analysis
**Primary Bottleneck:** Credit Check
- Highest queue (30 orders)
- Batch processing creates 8-hour wait
- Blocks downstream flow
**Secondary Bottleneck:** Pick & Pack
- Manual process
- Variable cycle time
| Principle | Current Problem | Future State Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Flow | Batch processing | Continuous flow, single-piece |
| Pull | Push based on forecast | Pull based on demand |
| Perfection | Accept defects, fix later | Build quality in |
## Future State Design
### Eliminate Waiting
- Real-time credit API vs. batch
- On-demand carrier pickup
### Reduce Inventory
- WIP limits at each step
- Pull signals between steps
### Improve Quality
- Validation at order entry
- Auto-populate from CRM
### Automate Motion Waste
- Single system vs. multiple tools
- API integrations
## Future State Value Stream
| Step | Owner | PT | LT | %C&A | Inventory | Changes |
|------|-------|-----|-----|------|-----------|---------|
| Order Entry | Sales | 10m | 30m | 98% | 10 orders | Validation, auto-fill |
| Credit Check | System | 1m | 5m | 99% | 0 | Real-time API |
| Inventory Alloc | System | 1m | 5m | 99% | 0 | Automated |
| Pick & Pack | Warehouse | 25m | 2h | 96% | 15 orders | Better tooling |
| Ship | Logistics | 10m | 4h | 99% | 20 orders | On-demand pickup |
**Target Process Time:** 47 minutes (33% reduction)
**Target Lead Time:** 6.7 hours (85% reduction)
**Target Flow Efficiency:** 11.7% (4x improvement)
| Improvement | Impact | Effort | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real-time credit API | High (8h → 5m) | Medium | 1 |
| Order entry validation | Medium (15% → 2% errors) | Low | 2 |
| On-demand carrier | High (24h → 4h) | High | 3 |
| Automated inventory | Medium | Medium | 4 |
Focused improvement workshops:
## Kaizen Event: Credit Check Automation
**Scope:** Eliminate credit check batch processing
**Target:** 8 hours → 5 minutes lead time
**Team:** Finance, IT, Process Owner
**Duration:** 1 week intensive
**Deliverables:**
- API integration specification
- Process redesign
- Training materials
## Value Stream Analysis Summary
**Value Stream:** [Name]
**Date:** [ISO date]
**Analyst:** value-stream-analyst
### Current State Metrics
- **Process Time:** X minutes
- **Lead Time:** Y hours
- **Flow Efficiency:** Z%
- **Primary Bottleneck:** [Step]
### Top Waste Categories
1. **Waiting (X% of LT):** [Description]
2. **Inventory (X orders WIP):** [Description]
3. **[Other waste]:** [Description]
### Future State Targets
- **Lead Time Reduction:** X%
- **Flow Efficiency Target:** Y%
- **Quality Target:** Z% first-time right
### Recommended Actions
1. [High priority improvement]
2. [Medium priority improvement]
3. [Lower priority improvement]
value_stream:
name: "Customer Order Fulfillment"
version: "1.0"
date: "{ISO-8601-date}"
analyst: "value-stream-analyst"
boundaries:
trigger: "Customer places order"
end_state: "Customer receives product"
customer: "External retail customer"
current_state:
total_process_time_minutes: 70
total_lead_time_hours: 44
flow_efficiency_percent: 2.7
wip_total: 240
steps:
- name: "Order Entry"
owner: "Sales"
process_time_minutes: 15
lead_time_hours: 2
complete_accurate_percent: 85
inventory: 50
waste_types:
- type: defects
description: "Manual entry errors"
- type: motion
description: "Multiple system entry"
- name: "Credit Check"
owner: "Finance"
process_time_minutes: 10
lead_time_hours: 8
complete_accurate_percent: 95
inventory: 30
is_bottleneck: true
waste_types:
- type: waiting
description: "Batch processing"
waste_analysis:
- type: waiting
percent_of_lead_time: 45
root_causes:
- "Batch processing"
- "Scheduled pickups"
- type: inventory
total_wip: 240
root_causes:
- "No WIP limits"
- "Push system"
future_state:
target_process_time_minutes: 47
target_lead_time_hours: 6.7
target_flow_efficiency_percent: 11.7
improvements:
- name: "Real-time credit API"
waste_eliminated: waiting
impact: high
effort: medium
lead_time_reduction_hours: 7.9
roadmap:
- phase: 1
improvements: ["Real-time credit API", "Order validation"]
duration_weeks: 4
- phase: 2
improvements: ["On-demand carrier", "Inventory automation"]
duration_weeks: 8
Current State Flow:
flowchart LR
subgraph Current State
A[Order Entry<br/>PT: 15m | LT: 2h<br/>WIP: 50] --> B[Credit Check<br/>PT: 10m | LT: 8h<br/>WIP: 30]
B --> C[Inventory<br/>PT: 5m | LT: 4h<br/>WIP: 20]
C --> D[Pick & Pack<br/>PT: 30m | LT: 6h<br/>WIP: 40]
D --> E[Ship<br/>PT: 10m | LT: 24h<br/>WIP: 100]
end
style B fill:#ff9999
Future State Flow:
flowchart LR
subgraph Future State
A[Order Entry<br/>PT: 10m | LT: 30m<br/>WIP: 10] --> B[Credit<br/>API: 1m<br/>WIP: 0]
B --> C[Inventory<br/>Auto: 1m<br/>WIP: 0]
C --> D[Pick & Pack<br/>PT: 25m | LT: 2h<br/>WIP: 15]
D --> E[Ship<br/>PT: 10m | LT: 4h<br/>WIP: 20]
end
style B fill:#99ff99
style C fill:#99ff99
| Scenario | Use Value Stream Mapping? |
|---|---|
| Process improvement | Yes - identify waste |
| New system design | Yes - design for flow |
| Cost reduction | Yes - find inefficiencies |
| Lead time complaints | Yes - find bottlenecks |
| Quality problems | Partial - with root cause analysis |
| Greenfield project | Maybe - limited current state |
journey-mapping - Customer experience perspectivecapability-mapping - Capability view of value deliveryroot-cause-analysis - Investigate bottleneck causesprioritization - Prioritize improvement initiativesprocess-modeling - Detailed BPMN process diagramsestimation - Estimate improvement effortbenchmarking - Current vs target comparisonUse when working with Payload CMS projects (payload.config.ts, collections, fields, hooks, access control, Payload API). Use when debugging validation errors, security issues, relationship queries, transactions, or hook behavior.
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