Method 3: Counting Steps. Counting steps is still the most common form of measuring travel distance through a value stream. By simply walking from one process step to another and counting the number of steps you take, you can determine the approximate distance traveled between steps in the value stream. Because the normal stride of a normal person is 2.5 feet per step, you can determine distance by multiplying the number of steps by 2.5 to arrive at the distance. If the individual walking the process is shorter than 5' 6" tall, you may want to consider reducing the 2.5 feet per step to 2.0 feet per step. Likewise, if the person doing the measuring is taller than 6' 3", you may want to lengthen the distance per step to 3.0.