What is the purpose of a Value Stream Map?

The purpose of a Value Stream Map is to determine which processes add value within a particular workflow or operational process. This mapping technique visualizes the flow of materials and information necessary to bring a product or service to a customer, identifying each step in the process. By doing so, it highlights actions that contribute to value addition from the perspective of the customer alongside those that may not add value, enabling organizations to focus on optimizing and improving efficiencies.

This approach allows business analysts and stakeholders to gain insights into the intricacies of operational processes, providing a foundation for continuous improvement initiatives. For instance, value stream mapping can help identify bottlenecks, redundancies, or unnecessary steps, ultimately leading to enhanced performance and customer satisfaction by streamlining operations.

In contrast, documenting all employees involved in a process is more operational than strategic and does not provide the insights into value addition that a Value Stream Map aims to deliver. Showing the overall performance of a company is broader and might involve financial or operational metrics, which is not the primary focus of a Value Stream Map. Outlining marketing strategies falls outside the scope of operational process mapping, as it pertains to promotional activities rather than process efficiency and improvement.