From Value Stream to Measured Step
Whether in production, administration or IT, a value stream in the LeanShift App is made up of tiles such as processing, storage, transport, inspection or setup. You attach a recording to a tile, and every step in it is timed individually over several cycles. The tile then uses the measured time.
Production
Screw manufacturing from wire coil to packaging
The value stream follows a production order for screws from wire coil to packaging, tile by tile. A tile with a recording takes its actual time from that recording, averaged per step and added up. In setup, the steps marked as external in this example also count toward the tile’s changeover time. Subtract the time of these steps by hand in the “Changeover Time (C/O)” field. In thread rolling, one cycle runs from one bin to the next, so the tile takes the time for a whole bin and not for one screw.
Value stream Flow of a production order
Plant manager
- StorageCoils of wire in storage
- TransportCoil of wire to the cold header
- Setup / ChangeoverCold header setup
- ProcessingCold heading (head and shank)
- TransportBlanks to the thread rolling machine
- Wait TimeBlanks waiting for thread rolling
- Setup / ChangeoverThread rolling machine setupwith recording
- ProcessingThread rollingwith recording
- TransportScrews to heat treatment
- Wait TimeScrews waiting for heat treatment
- ProcessingQuench and temper
- TransportScrews to zinc plating
- Wait TimeScrews waiting for zinc plating
- ProcessingZinc electroplating
- TransportScrews to visual and dimensional inspection
- Wait TimeScrews waiting for visual and dimensional inspection
- InspectionVisual and dimensional inspection
- ProcessingCounting and packing
Recording Thread rolling machine setup
Setup technician
- 1.Stage new flat dies, hand tools, thread ring gauge and micrometer at the machineexternal in this example
- 2.Stage blanks for the next job at the machineexternal in this example
- 3.Stop the machine and remove leftover blanks from hopper and feed rail
- 4.Open the guard
- 5.Loosen and remove the old dies
- 6.Insert and clamp the new stationary and moving flat dies
- 7.Load blanks for the next job into the hopper
- 8.Adjust feed rail and injector to the new blank
- 9.Set die gap and parallelism and adjust die match
- 10.Close the guard
- 11.Roll test pieces
- 12.Check test pieces with a go/no-go thread ring gauge and measure the major diameter
- 13.Release the machine for production
- 14.Clean the old dies and return them to the tool storeexternal in this example
The SMED method divides a setup into external steps, which can be done before or after the changeover while the machine is producing, and internal steps, which can only be done while it is not producing. The aim is to convert internal steps into external ones and to streamline all the rest. The recording shows you how long each step takes. You decide at your own machine whether a step is internal or external.
Recording Thread rolling
Machine operator
- 1.Load blanks into the hopper
- 2.Injector feeds blanks between the flat dies, and rolled screws drop into the bin
- 3.Take a sample from the bin
- 4.Check the external thread with a go/no-go thread ring gauge
- 5.Swap the full bin for an empty one
Administration
Order processing from customer inquiry to invoice
The department head sets up order processing as a value stream, from customer inquiry to invoice. The cost estimator’s recording is linked to the “Prepare quote” tile, with every step of preparing the quote timed on its own. The tile takes its actual time from that recording, averaged per step and added up.
Value stream Order processing
Department head
- ProcessingLog and assign customer inquiry
- Wait TimeInquiry waits for quote preparation
- ProcessingPrepare quotewith recording
- Wait TimeQuote waits for approval
- InspectionReview and approve quote
- TransportSend quote to customer
- InspectionCheck incoming purchase order against quote
- ProcessingCreate sales order
- TransportSend order confirmation to customer
- ProcessingCreate production order
- ProcessingOrder material
- Wait TimeOrder waits for material
- InspectionCheck and post goods receipt
- Wait TimeOrder waits for production
- ProcessingManufacture parts
- ProcessingCreate delivery note
- TransportShip goods to customer
- ProcessingCreate invoice
- TransportSend invoice to customer
Recording Prepare quote
Cost estimator
- 1.Review inquiry and drawing (quantity, material, delivery date)
- 2.Derive bill of materials and operations from the drawing
- 3.Determine direct material costs from quantity required and material price
- 4.Apply material overhead rate
- 5.Estimate setup time (once per batch) and run time per piece separately for each operation
- 6.Calculate machine costs using machine hour rates
- 7.Calculate direct labor costs and apply a labor-based rate for the remaining production overhead
- 8.Add outside processing costs from supplier prices
- 9.Apply sales and administration overhead rates to cost of goods manufactured
- 10.Add profit markup on total cost
- 11.Build in customer cash discount and trade discount, set the quote price
- 12.Enter quote with delivery time and payment terms in ERP
- 13.Submit quote for approval
IT
Software release from backlog to production
The IT manager looks at the value stream of a release from backlog to production. Linked to the “Run production deployment” tile is the DevOps lead's recording, with every step timed individually, from the deployment checklist to the check in production. The tile takes its actual time from these steps.
Value stream Release cycle
IT manager
- ProcessingSelect release tickets from backlog
- ProcessingImplement tickets in the sprint
- InspectionSprint review with stakeholders
- ProcessingCompile release notes
- InspectionQA tests in test environment and signs off
- ProcessingUpdate staging environment
- Wait TimeWait for acceptance testing
- InspectionBusiness users run acceptance tests (UAT) on staging
- InspectionMake go/no-go decision
- Wait TimeWait for maintenance window
- ProcessingRun production deploymentwith recording
- TransportSend release email to stakeholders
Recording Run production deployment
DevOps lead
- 1.Open deployment checklist
- 2.Pull new image
- 3.Review pending database migrations
- 4.Activate maintenance page and stop application containers
- 5.Start production database backup
- 6.Wait for backup to complete
- 7.Run pending migrations from new image
- 8.Recreate containers from new image
- 9.Call health check endpoint
- 10.Run smoke tests
- 11.Deactivate maintenance page
- 12.Check application in production
Ready for better processes?
The simple stopwatch is free. Recording your own processes step by step is available from the Operator version. The value stream map, the target state calculator and the investment calculator are available from the Expert version.