Value Stream Map in draw.io: Process Boxes, Wait Times and the Timeline
A value stream map shows where an order spends its time waiting between steps. Learn how to draw process boxes, inventory triangles with wait times and the timeline ladder in the free draw.io web app, using an online shop warehouse.
Step by step
Where work waits
- Value stream maps. An order spends most of its time waiting, not being worked on. A value stream map shows where that time goes. The example here is an online shop warehouse with 3 steps: pick, pack and ship.
- Blank diagram. Open draw.io in your browser and start a blank diagram.
Process boxes
- Process boxes. A value stream map runs left to right, with one box for each step where work gets done. Drag a Rectangle from the General shapes onto the page and type Pick items. Leave a gap to the right for the waiting, then add a second Rectangle and name it Pack order. Leave another gap and add the last Rectangle, Ship order.
Wait times
- Wait triangles. Between steps, orders pile up and wait. Lean shows this as a triangle. Click More Shapes at the bottom of the shapes panel, tick Value Stream Mapping and click Apply. The Value Stream Mapping shapes now appear in the panel. Drag the Inventory Box (the triangle) into the gap between Pick items and Pack order, and type Wait 2 days. Packed orders wait again for the courier. Drop a second Inventory Box between Pack order and Ship order and type Wait 1 day.
The timeline ladder
- Timeline ladder. Now build the timeline ladder underneath. From the Misc shapes, drag a Partial Rectangle (an open box) under Pick items and type 10 min. The low steps of the ladder hold the work time. The high steps hold the waiting. Drag a Horizontal Line from Misc and place it higher up, right under the first triangle. Add another Partial Rectangle under Pack order and type 5 min. Add a second Horizontal Line as a high step under the second triangle. Finish with a last Partial Rectangle under Ship order and type 15 min.
Add it up
- Add it up. Under the ladder, add one more Rectangle with the totals: Lead time 3 days and Work 30 min. The waits add up to 3 days, but the work adds up to only 30 minutes.
- The finished map. Click an empty part of the page to see the finished map: 3 process boxes, 2 wait triangles and a ladder that shows where the time really goes.
Recap
- The rules. The rules: a box for each step, a triangle with the wait between steps, and a ladder underneath, with low steps for work and high steps for waiting. Then add up both.
Common mistakes
- Can't find the triangle shape. The Value Stream Mapping shapes are not in the panel by default. Click More Shapes, tick Value Stream Mapping and click Apply.
- Work and waiting on the same level of the ladder. Put work times on the low steps and waits on the high steps, each one lined up under its box or triangle. If they are mixed, nobody can see at a glance where the time goes.
- Adding minutes and days as plain numbers. Change everything to one unit before you add it up. 10 + 5 + 15 minutes is 30 minutes of work, while the 2-day and 1-day waits make the lead time about 3 days.
- Mapping how the process should work. Write down the waits and work times you actually see or measure today. A map of the ideal process hides the delays you are trying to find.
When a business analyst uses this
In a process improvement workshop about slow order delivery, a BA maps the current process with the team and writes the wait between each step on the triangles. The totals box, such as 3 days of lead time against 30 minutes of work, shows stakeholders that the fix is to cut the waiting, not to make people work faster.
Questions people ask
What is value stream mapping?
A value stream map is a Lean diagram that follows one item, such as an order, through each step and shows how long it is worked on and how long it waits. It makes the waiting between steps easy to see.
What is value stream mapping used for?
It is used to find where time is lost in a process, usually in the waits between steps. In this example an order takes about 3 days but gets only 30 minutes of work, so the waits are what to improve.
How do you do value stream mapping in draw.io?
Turn on the shapes with More Shapes, tick Value Stream Mapping and click Apply. Then use Rectangles for the steps, Inventory Box triangles for the waits, and Partial Rectangle and Horizontal Line shapes from Misc for the timeline ladder.
