Wine and Waste: Two terms that are not typically “paired” in our house.
Wine is rarely wasted in the consumption process (unless you consider unneeded calories, but let’s not go there). However, what about during the buying and tasting process? There must be some waste there. Or, so I assumed as I was looking for a fun example of Value Added Analysis for my Lean courses.
Before we “nose” into the wine tasting value map, let’s first refresh on a couple of key Lean terms:
Waste: Those things that add no value to the final product or service.
When conducting a Value Added Analysis, process steps are categorized into the following:
- Value-add: Simply, those steps that add direct value to final product or service
- Non-value add: Those steps that add NO value to final product or service (waste)
- Business Value-Added: Those things that add no value to the final product or service, but still must be done to stay in business.
Examples of Waste in a Restaurant
Think of Ordering Food
The steps of taking the order and preparing the food would be considered value added (non-waste). But walking the order to the kitchen or steps that include searching for ingredients would be non-value added (waste). This is because they add nothing of value to a quality product as defined by the customer: a tasty, properly prepared meal.
Business Value-add, in the restaurant example, might include delivering and paying for the check. Adhering to some government regulations is another example (e.g. adding sales tax to the check).
It Must Be Time for a Glass of Wine!
Phew, that was enough technical stuff. The colorful chart below is what is known as a “Rainbow Value Map.” It classifies steps by color (value-add is green, non-value add is red, and business value-add is yellow). Now, “pour” through this wine tasting process.
Now, Let’s Group the Steps Into the 8 Wastes
Observation Booth
Last, I hoped you observed only about one third of the steps could be considered value-added. This is not unusual. Most processes have lots of opportunities and we need people’s knowledge and talents to fix them. We want to eliminate non-value add and improve and/or reduce business value add. But, just because the box is green, doesn’t mean it can’t be improved. The classification only helps us determine key starting points when improving processes.
Cheers!
What non-value adding steps do you eliminate when enjoying the finer things in life? Register for Green Belt Training & Certification to improve processes today!
