Quick guidelines to Identify Typical Project for Lean Office, Supply Chain, IT and Accounting on one VSM since the beginning of Lean Deployment, plus the Manufacturing Projects.

As always everything start with the VSM Current State.

However I recommend do not misunderstands the big differences between VSM for Manufacturing companies versus the VSM for Lean Office, Services or other Transactional business that don’t manufacture or transforms any physical product, as example: Banks, Government Services etc.

My comment is because many people on Manufacturing Business, made the VSM Current State with very few information about the Transactional (Office) process such as (Supply Chain, Office, Finance, Distribution etc.) that affects the performance on their production floor and the KPI’s of entire organization, and later on the Lean Deployment the consultant ask for a new VSM just for the Lean Office, this is big mistake, waste of time and delays the sustainable Lean benefits. (This is known as Lean Fake)

Is very easy and less complicated if at the beginning with the VSM Current State the organization highlight those (Office and Transactional) process as well as the improvements on Production areas, the team has the opportunity to target the improve of those KPI’s on kaizen events and the improve will be more reasonable and faster.

Lest see an example:

On this VSM , there are information about Lean Office ( Supply Chain , Accounting , Finance , IT, Distribution),  and opportunities on Production Floor (yellow clouds) ,  the blue clouds are for Lean Supply Chain , the Green ones for Lean Office (Finance , IT, etc.) and may be possible that a branch of  a specific process needs  more details  information that can be added  on further kaizen events but not  a full and new VSM Office is needed, averting must be linked on one VSM since the beginning.

The team can do the Office Kaizen Events using specific and less complicated maps and diagrams that complements and links all the branches at the same time all the process in just one VSM, lets see some examples:

Business Process Mapping: Hiring Process Example

Swim Lane Process Mapping Diagram- Payroll Process Example

Business Process Elements: Example

Visit: http://www.conceptdraw.com/examples/swimlanes-process-map ; for more information about this Diagrams.

I recommend also using this simple checklist for the Typical Projects related with Lean Office, Supply Chain, IT , Finance.

See an example of VSM for Lean Office (none Manufacture).

Hope this can help you in your next project.