Value Stream Mapping is one of lean manufacturing's most powerful tools — and one of its most misunderstood. This episode breaks down how VSM works, why it reveals waste that standard process charts miss, and what a CI facilitator actually does when running a mapping session.

AI-generated (NotebookLM) audio overview. Source: HexLocal in-house research — Value Stream Mapping: Deep Dive (Dr. Priya Nair). Primary external sources include the Lean Enterprise Institute, ASQ, and Mike Rother and John Shook's canonical VSM reference, *Learning to See*.

- VSM shows time, inventory, information flow, and waste — not just steps — which is what makes it fundamentally different from a process flowchart

- Most VSMs reveal that less than 5% of total lead time is actually value-added; the rest is waiting, batching, and delay

- Product family selection happens before any drawing begins, and skipping it is one of the most common VSM mistakes

- Current-state maps are built on the shop floor through direct observation — never from memory, SOPs, or system data alone

- The map is drawn by hand, in a single session, with a cross-functional team that includes people who work in the process

- Walking the flow right to left (customer back to supplier) keeps the team anchored to customer value rather than production convenience