ABSTRACT
A Process Map is a detailed step-by-step description of what is happening when we do our job. We need to have sufficient information to analyse and allow us to make effective solutions, so we really need to know what is going on at work. Firefighting is a fact of life – sometimes we need to make an appointment with ourselves just to get some time away from dealing with all the other things that are going on! A Value Stream Map, or VSM, highlights the purpose of our work, as it shows the main blocks of value adding in a business process. The value-enabling activities generally do not improve the utility of the products and services, but they are necessary to ensure the smooth running of the organisation. It is possible to gain a snap shot of how the Value Stream is running from the information.
