In looking for the answer to an unrelated quality improvement question the other day, I ran across a blog post that answers a question I’ve had for a while: What’s the origin of the value-stream map?

A value-stream map is a key tool in many quality improvement projects, especially those using lean techniques. The value stream is the collection of all of the activities, both value-added and nonvalue-added, which generates a product or service that meets customer needs. The value-stream map shows how both materials and information flow as a product or service moves through the process value stream, helping teams visualize where improvements might be made in both flows.

In his post, Michel Baudin traces the history of a process map that accounts for both materials and information back to a text published in 1918, and provides examples and documentation of how this idea has been applied, transformed, and popularized since then.

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