Free online value stream mapping

The online value stream mapping tool that does the math.

See the whole flow, supplier to customer, on one page. Takt, inventory days, the lead-time ladder and PCE update as you type; then simulate the line and build the business case before you touch the floor.

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No card · Maps save in your browser · 7 days of Pro when you sign up

The VSM Studio builder with a current-state map of a bracket line: suppliers, five process boxes with data, inventory triangles, the lead-time ladder, and a summary of takt, lead time and PCE.

Takt, PCE, lead time calculated live Day-by-day line simulation DMAIC / PDCA improvement loop English · Español

One tool for the whole VSM workflow

Grouped by what you're doing, from the first sketch to the plan on the wall.

01 · Map

Draw the current state

Drag symbols, connect flows, type the data. Or start from a form, a CSV, a guided step-by-step build, or describe the process to the Assistant.

Guided mode · Form · CSV import · Detail maps

02 · Measure

The numbers build themselves

The lead-time ladder, takt, PCE and operator balance update as you type. Steps slower than takt turn red.

Timeline · Balance chart · Costs · EPEI

03 · Simulate

Watch it run, test a fix

Day-by-day simulation with your real shifts. Queues grow, steps block, and every suggestion can be tested on the same run.

Shifts · Constraints · Suggestions

04 · Improve

Run a Lean / Six Sigma loop

DMAIC or PDCA, with SIPOC, fishbone, sigma level and control charts, without leaving the map.

Improve tab · Goals planner · Six Sigma

05 · Justify & plan

ROI, owners, dates

A business case for each fix, then kaizen bursts become a loop-by-loop plan with KPIs tracked weekly.

Business case · Plan · KPIs · Skills matrix

06 · Share

A3 out, team in

Export PNG, SVG or an A3 PDF. Share links, named versions, and team maps that show who changed what.

Export · Versions · Projects · Teams

See it in use

Real runs on the bracket line that opens with the builder. Open the sample and you'll get the same numbers.

Every clip is recorded in VSM Studio on the sample maps, numbers as the app worked them out.

Simulate · Suggestions · Test

Weld is over capacity. Fix it without hiring.

A five-step bracket line ships 460 parts a day. Weld needs 125 s per part against a 120 s takt, so it runs at 112% of its capacity. The 600 finished parts in stock hide it for three weeks; then orders start shipping short.

Simulate 60 days. Orders ship complete on only 60% of days, and a backlog of 1,163 parts builds up.
Open Suggestions. First on the list: move 30 s of Weld's work to the Powder Coat operator, who waits on the machine for most of each cycle.
Test it. The same 60 days, same demand and breakdowns, with and without the change.

60% → 100%days shipped complete

441 → 460parts shipped a day

0new people or machines

Try it on the sample

Start from a form

A table in, a full map out.

A 3D print shop types one row per step: time, queue, uptime, changeover. Build the map draws every box, queue and the lead-time ladder, with takt and load worked out.

7 stepsmapped in one go

4.2 dayslead time, worked out

Start a map →

Suggestions · FIFO lanes

Stop pushing. Cut lead time in half.

Every step pushes parts into the next pile. The suggestion caps each queue as a first-in, first-out lane with one schedule point, then tests it on the same 60 days.

21.3 → 11.4 daysorder to ship

9,061 → 4,392parts in process

Try it on the sample →

Business case

Bring the payback, not just the idea.

For the bottleneck, it runs the line with every option, on the same demand and breakdowns. With your price, material cost and labor rate, it ranks them by payback and 3-year return.

$453k/yrbenefit, best option

0.2 monthspayback on $9k

Try it on the sample →

SMED · Changeover

Change over while the machine runs.

Laser Cut stops for an hour to change over. Mark the prep and put-away as external, streamline the first-piece adjustment, and apply it: the map, load and lead time update.

60 → 33 minmachine downtime

45%shorter changeover

Try it on the sample →

Continuous flow · Cell design

Four piles become one cell.

Four manual steps, each with parts waiting in front of it. The suggestion puts them side by side, one part at a time. Tested, then applied as one cell box on the map.

14.6 → 6.8 daysorder to ship

5,502 → 2,193parts in process

Try it on the practice map →

Cross-training matrix

Know who covers the bottleneck.

Set each operator's level per step with a click. The matrix flags steps that one absence would stop and says who to train next, busiest steps first.

1 of 3can run Weld alone

~24 hto train Luis as backup

Try it on the sample →

Improve · DMAIC

One project, Define to Control.

The problem and goal are drafted from the map. A baseline run measures what goes wrong, each fix is tested on the same run, and the best one goes into the desired state.

68% → 100%days shipped complete

21 → 5.7 daysorder to ship, desired state

Try it on the sample →

Six Sigma tools

SIPOC, sigma level and fishbone, drafted.

The SIPOC comes from the map, the sigma level from your yield and defects, and the fishbone starts with causes already on it, so the team edits instead of staring at a blank page.

3 toolsdrafted from the map

0blank pages

Try it on the sample →

An Assistant that does the work with you

Ask in plain words. It edits the map, runs the tests and opens the right tool.

Build

“Order review → Printing → Packing”

Paste or describe your process and it draws the current state, then asks the future-state questions and builds the desired state.

Change

“Add a second shift at Weld”

It edits steps, queues and settings, marks kaizen bursts, and can undo any change it made.

Explain

“What is takt?”

Plain definitions of every lean term, and where to find each one in the app.

New to VSM?The free guide: from product family to implementation planFour steps, the data to collect, every symbol and the key formulas. A 25-minute read.Read the guide → Learn by doingTen lessons inside the real builderEach task ticks off as you do it. Lessons 1–3 are free; the certificate comes with lessons 4–10.Start the course →

Free lean tools

Every calculator is free, with no sign-up, and the same tools are built into the builder.

Takt timeThe pace the customer sets, and which steps can't keep up OEEAvailability, performance and quality in one number KanbanHow many cards a loop needs SMEDSplit internal and external changeover work Line balancingStations and operators to hit takt Time studyStopwatch cycles to a typical time 5S auditScore an area and track it VSM symbolsEvery symbol and when to use it

Questions

What is value stream mapping?

A lean method that draws how material and information move through a process, from supplier to customer, on one page. It shows where parts wait, so you can see what to fix first.

Is VSM Studio free?

Yes, to start. Mapping, the guide and every lean calculator are free, with maps saved in your browser. A free account keeps 3 maps in the cloud; Starter is $12 a month for unlimited maps and simulations.

Do I need to install anything?

No. It runs in the browser on a computer, tablet or phone, and the gemba walk mode works on your phone on the floor.

Can I export my value stream map?

Yes: a PNG or SVG for slides, or an A3 PDF with the map, the summary numbers and your title block.

How is it different from drawing in Visio, Lucidchart or Miro?

Those draw shapes. VSM Studio knows what the shapes mean: it calculates takt, lead time and load, simulates the line and suggests fixes. See the side-by-side comparison.

Is it available in Spanish?

Yes. The app and this site are in English and Spanish; switch with ES / EN at the top.

Map your first value stream today

Open the builder, load the sample or start blank. It's free, and new accounts get 7 days of Pro.

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