Overview

The learner will identify a business that they are familiar with and develop a high-value stream map of a specific product line for that business. They will identify two areas of value and non-value, citing typical measures that are appropriate for that business. The learner will then identify potential lean tools and solutions that will optimize the process. Extensive use of Lean tools will demonstrate the learner’s knowledge and application of the learning outcomes.

Assignment Details

Question 1: In Excel, construct a Value Stream Map of a business process. This process can be of your own choosing but must outline the following items,

• Details of the Customers
• Details of the Customer Requirements – Quantities, Frequencies, Deliveries
• Demands defined of the Suppliers
• An outline of the internal process flow
• For each process step outline some critical parameters, examples could include duration, inventory, yield, wastage, resources, etc.
• Details of Customer deliveries

Question 2: Identify some potential improvements in the Value Stream based on your observations. These improvements can relate to the lean wastes or process instabilities or errors. Provide some evidence that supports your reason for improvement. This evidence can be estimated from data, observations, blockages, delays, excess inventory, etc.

Question 3: Pick two areas you identified for improvement and suggest how improvements to these processes could be implemented using the lean tools of 5S, SMED, Kanban, error-proofing or otherwise. The use of Process mapping, layout maps, visual management, and other lean tools would also be important to describe the process before and after the improvement.

Question 4: Redraw the overall Value Stream Map with the improvements implemented and indicate the potential benefits that these changes could make to the overall Value Stream.