Business901

Value stream mapping is a tool that helps you to see and understand the flow of material and information as a product or service makes its way through the value stream. Value stream mapping is typically used in Lean, it differs from the process mapping of Six Sigma.

A value stream map will take into account not only the activity of the product, but the management and information systems that support the basic process. You will gain insight into the decision making flow in addition to the process flow. The basic idea is to first map your process, then above it map the information flow that enables the process to occur.

Why use Software for Value Stream Mapping? I think the use of software that is written specifically for Value Stream Mapping is important. It forces you to make a decision to drill down into the subject as you are doing it versus later in the process. This particular tool is interesting because of the ability to Excel’s powerful scenarios to analyze multiple sets of numbers without needing to redraw an almost identical map over and over again. Take a look at some of the other features.

1. Visually see your entire process flow using the language of Lean to learn to see and eliminate wastes
2. Answer the question How can we make only what we need when we need it?
3. Form a blueprint for Lean implementation to rally your team to eliminate wastes
4. Instant on-line training for Lean concepts and techniques
5. Easily customized written in Excel with all of its familiar formulas and charts
6. Professional deliverables easily stored, emailed, and shared
7. Drill down to swim lane flowcharts and other related documents
8. Import Old comparison data with the click of a button
9. Inexpensive to easily share & collaborate

Six Step Lean Marketing Process

Lean Marketing is a strategic methodology to streamline and automate the marketing processes in order to improve efficiencies through waste elimination. True lean companies strive to eliminate, not minimize all waste in the process. Most think of this as only a manufacturing or administrative function. This rule can apply when implementing lean marketing as well. In lean marketing a company should only have two components: An introduction to a new lead and the acceptance of an order. All other components would be considered wasteful and are candidates for elimination. That may be a little to pie in the sky but I do not believe that marketing should be off the hook from eliminating waste.

Here is a simple process to get started: The Six Step Process to Lean Marketing: I adhere to the Duct Tape Marketing System as a baseline for my Lean Marketing efforts and the implementation of the Marketing Hourglass as the most important aspect of it. How do you handle the critical elements of the Know, Like, Trust, Trial, Buy, Repeat, Refer stream and reduce waste in a lean flow?

1. Create a Value Stream Map based on the Marketing Hour-Glass.
2. Analyze each process and start asking these questions until you have eliminated all waste from the process:
   1. Why are we doing this process?
   2. What value/purpose does it serve the customer?
   3. How can we eliminate all waste from this process?
   4. Map new simplified process
3. Now determine the constraint in your Marketing Hourglass
   1. Identify the system’s constraint.
   2. Exploit the system’s constraint.
   3. Subordinate everything else to the above decision.
   4. Elevate the system’s constraint.
   5. If a constraint is broken (that is, relieved or improved), go back to Step 1. However, don’t allow inertia to become a constraint.
4. Implement and Test new process using the Plan, Do, Check, Act cycle.
5. Simplify the Marketing Hour-Glass
   1. Eliminate all wasted activities that the customer sees little value in.
   2. Create dashboard with input/output measurements showing daily, weekly, monthly and yearly progress
6. Find the Value Stream ROI and Resource Allocation
   1. Create the Future Value Stream Map
   2. Feedback develop visual metrics showing progress of the company’s lean continuous improvement program.

There has been very good books written on Lean Six Sigma Marketing but they deal primarily with channel management. I feel that a true lean approach is what is needed in Small Business Marketing. This basic structure will add clarity finding not only waste but deficiencies in creating new leads and orders in your marketing hour-glass.

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