Holistic Value Framework - Creating right value streams using TRIZ and other concepts

Lean Thinking is widely accepted as a philosophy or technique to eliminate waste from processes and thereby deliver exactly what the customer wants, as quickly as possible. The “value and waste” perspective is created through a value stream mapping exercise, predominantly focused on quicker value generation through waste elimination. There is however, scope to enhance value stream mapping such that the focus on value enhancement is increased. In this context, there are several techniques associated with TRIZ that can be beneficial. Function-based thinking and Ideality can help in creating an improved understanding of value (and thereby waste). Nine Windows can broaden the context and scope of value stream mapping to provide an end-to-end perspective. The Little-people concept can be used for microlevel problem identification and solution creation. There is considerable energy in the Six Thinking Hats technique for brainstorming, idea generation and solution evaluation that can be channeled into valueoriented thinking. This paper attempts to combine the strengths of various techniques into a Holistic Value Framework suitable for process analysis, optimization and alignment of processes to their endobjectives.