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New book - Value Stream Mapping by Karen Martin and Mike Osterling

by Karen Martin
(San Diego, CA)

Thank you for this post. So many people don't fully understand why value stream mapping is a vital practice for achieving outstanding business performance that, the more of us that are educating, the better off all will be.

One thing, however, that I'd like to highlight is that we've found VSM to yield far greater results when the mapping itself is composed of leaders vs. operators or frontline staff. Even team leads are sometimes too junior to be in a position to authorize innovative future state improvements that challenge policy, etc.

In our new book, Value Stream Mapping, Mike Osterling and I explain how to engage the frontlines deeply in the mapping process by going to the Gemba, holding briefings, etc. but we recommend strongly that the team is composed of leaders with the authority to make innovative decisions.

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