We introduced the idea of a cross-functional diagram in the measure stage. This is a tool that has come from the Lean methodology. In the analyze stage, we examine each of the steps in the process from three perspectives:
The nature of the work, namely value-adding (VA) and non-value-adding (NVA) steps
The flow of the work, namely delays in the process
Moments of truth
As discussed earlier, the value of a step is decided by its contribution towards the end product or service that the customer receives. If a step has a positive and transformative effect on the final end product or service, it can be classified as a value-adding step. Otherwise, it is a non-value-adding step. A non-value-adding step is anything you have to do again. Think of any word that is prefixed with "re":
rework
revise
rejection
repeat
return
recall
redesign
recheck
In Lean terminology, the ratio of the total time spent on value-adding steps to the total time taken by a process is called process efficiency...