ANSWER

Value Stream Mapping (VSM) is a Lean-origin technique that visually documents every step—people, processes, information flows, and wait times—required to deliver a product or service, from initial request to value in the customer’s hands. By showing both the current state and a desired future state, it highlights waste (non-value-adding activities) and improvement opportunities.

Key Elements Shown on a VSM

• Process boxes – discrete activities with cycle time, change-over time, % complete & accurate.
• Material or information flows – arrows indicating physical product movement or data transfer.
• Queues & delays – inventory, backlogs, hand-offs, wait times.
• Metrics bar – overall lead time, value-added time, first-pass yield, takt time.

Typical Mapping Steps (for a Business Analyst)

• Define scope & customer value – choose an end-to-end slice (e.g., “loan origination” from application to funding).
• Walk the Gemba – interview SMEs, observe real work to capture facts, not assumptions.
• Draw the current-state map – use standard Lean symbols on paper or digital whiteboard.
• Calculate totals – lead time vs. value-added time, identify bottlenecks.
• Envision the future state – remove or streamline steps; realign flow to customer pull.
• Create an action plan – prioritize improvements, assign owners, set measurable targets.

Why It Matters in Business Analysis

• Clarifies end-to-end flow across silos, making hidden hand-offs visible.
• Quantifies waste so business cases for change are evidence-based.
• Aligns stakeholders on a shared visual artifact that transcends jargon.
• Feeds requirements: future-state map becomes a source of epics, user stories, or feature backlog items.

VSM is not just a diagram; it’s a data-driven conversation starter that helps a BA turn qualitative pain points into quantified, prioritized improvements, accelerating delivery of customer value.

Example (Software Context)
In a mortgage software shop, mapping “borrower document upload to clear-to-close” might reveal 15 hand-offs, 3 manual re-key steps, and only 12 minutes of true value in a 4-day cycle. Consolidating document validation services and auto-notifications could cut lead time to <1 day and boost first-pass yield to 98%.