Measure · Interactive CI tool

Value Stream Mapping

Value Stream Mapping shows material or service flow and information flow across a process, with timing, demand and inventory information where applicable.

Open Value Stream Mapping Read the full guide

Read freely. Creating a worksheet requires a verified free beta account. No payment or manual beta approval.

When this tool helps

Use it when handoffs, waiting and end-to-end performance matter across several steps or departments.

It helps teams examine the whole flow rather than optimizing one activity while queues remain elsewhere.

When to choose another method

Use a Flowchart for detailed routing or Time Study for direct activity observations. A VSM needs more than a list of unconnected boxes to support flow calculations.

How to use it in CI Tools

Read the guide and agree the question, definitions and required starting information.
Open a separate blank worksheet or the built-in synthetic practice sample. Follow the tool-specific steps and review its warnings.
Check the interpretation and save an editable .citools file to your computer. Keep reports as separate exports.

Follow the Value Stream Mapping instructions step by step

Fictional example snapshot

Sample order flow

A fictional operation maps a product family during one operating day.

Selected details from the worked example
Demand / available time	60 units per day / 420 available minutes per day
Takt example	420/60 = 7 minutes per required unit
Review	A measured 9-minute station cycle warrants capacity investigation

These figures illustrate the method; they are not clinical instructions, universal targets or verified results from a real organization.

Read the complete worked example and its interpretation

Learn the method, then put it into practice

The full guide includes prerequisites, interface-specific steps, two fictional examples, common mistakes and interpretation help. It is available without registration.

Value Stream Mapping: guide & examples