Identifying value in instructional production systems: Mapping the value stream

Value stream mapping is a common tool used in manufacturing to reduce cycle time and improve production processes. It introduces standardization into the production process that provides a foundation from which continual improvement activities can be performed, allowing the workers to improve the production system. Instructional technologists use a development process that is comparable to manufacturing of physical products. This study looks at whether the adoption of value stream mapping within the instructional production process is feasible. A comparison of the evolution of the manufacturing industry is made with the evolution of the instructional production industry. The keys to making a transition to a lean production system are explored and the value stream mapping tools of the manufacturing industry are analyzed. The value stream mapping tools used by many companies within the manufacturing industry are synthesized and formed into a value stream mapping tool that can be used in instructional production.; The value stream mapping tool is used at the Center for Performance Improvement at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory on their site-wide training review of and implementation board (STRIB) process. The STRIB process is a formal review of training products to be built for the organization. A current-state map was developed, as was a future-state map. The steps in moving from the current-state map to the future-state map are expounded and the challenges of implementing the value stream mapping tool in an instructional production environment are analyzed. The findings show that the value stream mapping tool can be successfully implemented into the instructional production process. There are specific wastes associated with instructional production that are not the same as those found in manufacturing. The elimination of such waste may reduce instructional production cycle time.