An extremely useful first step in starting Lean is the
mapping out of the process using a process map (Figure
1), then assessing the amount of waste in the system
using a Value Stream Map (VSM, Figure 2) (10). The
VSM documents the time for each process step and
quantifies the amount of value-added and no value-added
(waste) time in each step. This snapshot of the process
helps the improvement team to step back and determine
which steps in a process add value to the patient’s
experience and which steps take up resources and time
and incur cost without adding value. Next, the team
determines if each step in the VSM is indeed necessary.
The goal is to redesign the process with a new process
map that either minimizes or completely eliminates the
uncovered waste.