In the August 2013 “Speaking of Quality” column, flowcharts, process mapping and turtle diagrams were examined, explained and compared. When it comes to flowcharts and process mapping, ASQ has found that there will always be a need to visit and revisit these tools. For this column we return to flowcharts and process maps but add to it the value stream map.
Before we address value stream maps (VSM), let’s tackle the other map and the only chart.