Value stream methodology

Just because you’ve optimized all the processes in the factory doesn’t necessarily mean you’re adding optimum value. Often, a huge amount of effort is invested in processes, without having a lasting effect on costs throughout the whole system. The devil’s in the details, or more specifically: nasty gremlins in between business processes. The only way to uncover and eliminate “in-between gremlins” is to analyze the entire process chain rather than individual processes within the chain. This is the underlying principle of the value-stream method, which allows you to optimize material and information flows on production lines, in whole factories, and even spanning several factories.