Publications

Learning to See

By Rother, Mike and John Shook · Released 1999

Value-stream maps are the blueprints for lean transformations and Learning to See is an easy-to-read, step-by-step instruction manual that teaches this valuable tool to anyone, regardless of his or her background.

This groundbreaking workbook, which has introduced the value-stream mapping tool to thousands of people around the world, breaks down the important concepts of value-stream mapping into an easily grasped format. The workbook, a Shingo Research Prize recipient in 1999, is filled with actual maps, as well as engaging diagrams and illustrations.

The value-stream map is a paper-and-pencil representation of every process in the material and information flow, along with key data. It differs significantly from tools such as process mapping or layout diagrams because it includes information flow as well as material flow. Value-stream mapping is an overarching tool that gives managers and executives a picture of the entire production process, both value and non value-creating activities.  Rather than taking a haphazard approach to lean implementation, value-stream mapping establishes a direction for the company. 

To encourage you to become actively involved in the learning process, Learning to See contains a case study based on a fictional company, Acme Stamping.  You begin by mapping the current state of the value stream, looking for all the sources of waste.  After identifying the waste, you draw a map of a leaner future state and a value-stream plan to guide implementation and review progress regularly.

Written by two experts with practical experience, Mike Rother and John Shook, the workbook makes complicated concepts simple.  It teaches you the reasons for introducing a mapping program and how it fits into a lean conversion. 

With this easy- to-use product, a company gets the tool it needs to understand and use value-stream mapping so it can eliminate waste in production processes. Start your lean transformation or accelerate your existing effort with value-stream mapping.

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