Value Stream Mapping

Value stream mapping is a diagramming method that records all material and information flow steps needed to bring a product from order to delivery. A team first draws a current state map of actual conditions, then a future state map showing the target flow, and uses the maps to locate and remove waste. Toyota developed the tool, which it calls a material and information flow diagram, as part of the Toyota Production System.

Source checked8/8 values · 2026-10-25Methodology

Specification

1 source

Kind	methodology
Origin	Toyota Production System

Formula

pitch = takt_time * packout_quantity

Symbol	Name	Unit
takt time	Takt time	seconds
packout quantity	Packout quantity	pieces

Worked example: takt_time = 30, packout_quantity = 20 → 600

Study notes

A value stream is all the actions, both value-creating and non value-creating, required to bring a product from raw material to the customer.
Mapping begins with a current state map capturing actual material and information flow, followed by a future state map as a target image.
Six guidelines for a lean value stream: produce to takt time; develop continuous flow; use supermarkets where continuous flow cannot extend upstream; send the customer schedule to one production process; level the product mix (heijunka) at the pacemaker; level the production volume.
The pacemaker process is the single point in the value stream that receives the customer schedule and sets the pace for upstream processes.
A paced withdrawal releases a small, consistent amount of production instruction, usually 5-60 minutes worth, at the pacemaker and simultaneously removes an equal amount of finished goods; the pitch is that consistent increment of work.
Pitch is calculated from the packout quantity (number of parts one finished-goods container holds) or a multiple or fraction of it.
Value-stream map zones include information flow, process boxes (one area of material flow, stopping where material flow stops) and process data boxes.
Process data box measures: cycle time (C/T), lead time (L/T), uptime, changeover time (C/O), percent complete and accurate (%C/A), and availability measured in seconds.
Value-stream mapping differs from process mapping by addressing the door-to-door big picture rather than optimizing individual processes.
Synonym: VSM. The Learning to See workbook, a Shingo Research Prize recipient in 1999, is a step-by-step instruction manual for the tool.
Mapping is commonly used in lean manufacturing but can be applied in any industry.