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What's the best tool to depict the flow of THIS process?
That's a question faced almost every day by almost every Lean leader.
Here are some helpful tips...
The modest simple flowchart serves as the Swiss Army Knife of any lean toolkit, being ideally suited for:
- Getting ideas drawn fast.
- Any process that does not cross departmental boundaries
- - for Mixed Model Value Stream Maps with high variability of demand and
mix
- - a mandatory component when creating an FMEA
The swim lane cross functional flowchart
is ideal for designing and documenting
processes with medium-length cycle times. (For example a sales order
process, engineering changes, or any process that takes days or
weeks rather than minutes)
The Standard
Work Combination Sheet is the ideal tool for designing and
documenting Lean processes with short cycle times. (For example a
manufacturing process that takes five minutes, or a loan approval
process that takes 2 hours)
A Spaghetti Diagram is a
process mapping template that shows a
floor plan of your work area, and graphically shows the walk paths
of each worker, and which operations are done where, and how much is stored where.
A Value Stream Map is a strategic tool that uses special
symbols and Lean metrics to
depict the flow of a product or service (and the information needed
to plan and control the flow of that product or service) through an
entire stream of value-adding processes - each of which might drill
down to further details illustrated using any or all of the other tactical tools.
The Process Flow Diagram is used prior to creating a PFMEA, to identify Sources of Variation, and desired Deliverables (ideal Functions) for each Process Step.
The center of a SIPOC diagram includes a very simple process flowchart -
with columns for Suppliers, Inputs, Processes, Outputs, and Customers.
Use this tool to identify and eliminate wastes of
any type: hazardous wastes and emissions, energy,
scrap, packaging...
The A3 Stick Figure Illustrator uses stick
figures to illustrate Lean Office and Lean Healthcare processes in
ways that are more intuitive than traditional flow charts or other
lean tools.
Why reinvent?
When you purchase the entire suite of Systems2win tools, you get every one of these flowchart templates (and many more... with online training and training videos...)
so you have the right tool for the NEXT process that you need to optimize.
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