Value Stream Training The VSM Loop Simulation PowerPoint presentation presents the Five Principles of Lean along with three excellent tools used to eliminate waste: The 10-Second Test, The 15-Minute Observation, and the Kaizen Event.
The 60 page printed and bound VSM Loop Simulation Facilitators Guide contains all of the room preparation setups and talking points to keep you in focus and in control of the event while the laminated participant placemats and simulation instructions provide the participants with the necessary information they need to perform the exercises.
Laminated sheets are included for recording 10-Second Tests, 15-Minute Observation reports, Kaizen Events records, Target Progress Reports, ON-Time Delivery metrics, $ WIP metrics at each point process and more. The wet-erase markers provide a simple method for recording the metrics without ink rubbing off on the participants, but then easily wipe clean with a damp tissue or cloth. Two large-digit stopwatches allow easy timing of events, flow rates, tracking quality issues, and more.
The exercises should be held in a training room large enough for several small tables spaced at a distance from each other, and chairs for the six seated hands-on participants. Some participants are needed to fill roles moving material between the tables. Additional participants form the two observation teams, and stand around the tables or behind the seated operators. Their job is to perform The 10-Second Test or The 15-Minute Observation, watching the process, the material flow, the occurrence of value-adding and non value-adding activities, and in general work with the facilitator to gather information to be used after the simulation for further discussion of key points. The nine VSM exercises are intended to be run in sequence, and the facilitator’s notes key off each other in that sequence. The transition from Taylor’s division of labor and MRP Push principles to Lean customer driven demand principles tend to follow these steps in industry as company’s make small incremental improvements in an attempt to implement lean. Feel free to adjust the VSM for your particular needs.
The facilitator’s talking points are things to look for, and point out as they happen during the simulation exercise. The facilitator should move about the class room and talk about each process type as it is being simulated. The talking points are not all inclusive, but are a start. Adlib your own comments about what is happening, and try to inject humor. The observers should be taking notes for later discussion, and perhaps hold a Kaizen event to see what improvement the team may make to the process.