The Value Stream Analysis process (VSA) is a combination of Lean tools and techniques used to analyze a business process and to prescribe a plan, with timeline and assignments, for transforming the process and achieving breakthrough results. The VSA approach ensures that the enterprise is working on the high leverage activities; that everyone understands the effort required and accepts accountability; that the VSA team is challenged to look at the steps in their value streams with a more critical eye by identifying "value added and non-value added activities". Deliverables include maps - current, ideal and future state value stream maps - baseline data, key performance improvement indicators, and a detailed plan of rapid Improvement events or kaizen, projects and "just do it's."

The VSA event is an intense learn-by-doing process conducted with the Enterprise or Site leadership and the Lean core team. It's a hands-on, learn-as-you-go process that begins by establishing the business case (i.e., the reason for the Lean enterprise transformation and the VSA event); defining what value is provided by the value stream from the eyes of the customer; defining boundaries for the Value Stream; and visualizing how the current business process is performed. This visualization is depicted in a current state Value Stream Map.

Pertinent process data is then gathered and documented on the current state map and analyzed by the team to see where leverage exists within the value stream. This analysis determines flow stoppers and major barriers found in the current value stream that later become the raw material for improvement ideas. We continue our "Learn as you go" analysis by introducing key tools such as Takt Time concepts and continuous flow cellular approaches. There are critical lessons that allow the VSA teams to take a fresh look at the current value stream and establish a "Vision" of what the new cellular, pull-based value stream can become.

VSA teams are coached to look anew at how enterprise culture and paradigms influence our way of thinking and behaving. A series of activities teach team members to understand the cultural areas that require focus in order to create breakthroughs in the value stream. Following paradigm discussions, an "Ideal State" map is created that depicts what a waste free Value Steam could look like. This new vision is often a radical shift from the current value stream and requires "outside the box" thinking. Teams frequently identify the "breakthrough" projects that will make the Ideal State a realistic goal.

The final steps of the VSA process are to finalize improvement ideas and to construct a "Future State" map using the Ideal State as the compass. At this stage, VSA teams use the "lean thinking" concepts of flow (standard work, single piece flow, 6s, and pull) to establish the future state. A gap analysis between current and future state maps is performed, followed by the creation of an action plan to eliminate those gaps consisting of target areas for improvement and activities necessary to transform the value stream. Key Lean metrics are established to measure success for the value stream leadership team and to understand the Return on Investment (ROI) used for the Lean enterprise transformation. The final activity is to establish a change management strategy engaging stakeholders to accelerate implementation of the future state.