Abstract Value Stream Mapping (VSM) is a widely used industrial tool to represent material and information flows, helping to identify improvement opportunities and define the desired future state. However, its construction often raises difficulties that can lead to mapping errors. This paper draws on the authors’ experience of more than three decades, in academic and industrial contexts, to systematise recurrent misunderstandings observed in VSM construction. The study focuses on six problem areas: (1) distinctions between value-added time, processing time, and cycle time; (2) process lead time and inventory lead time; (3) inventory quantification; (4) representation of multiple material flows; (5) treatment of shared processes; and (6) system balancing and bottleneck identification. Several of these issues are absent from the literature, while others, although mentioned, continue to be misapplied. For each, the paper provides clarification and/or a corrective approach, thereby contributing to a more rigorous and consistent use of VSM.
Sousa et al. (Sun,) studied this question.