RECORD 1
Improvement charter and family boundary
Family / common route / excluded variants; Customer / demand unit / start and finish; Workplace problem / consequence / source. Preserve the source, actual state and next owner.
KAIZEN + VALUE STREAM MAPPING
The stations are busy.
Why is the customer still waiting?
Kaizen and Value Stream Mapping helps you see the whole flow, choose a feasible experiment and review what actually happened.
For process owners, quality and operations leads, and improvement facilitators who need more than a tidy map or an optimistic event slide.
Try the first lesson free Try a worked decision
Original fictional records and practical public-source guidance. Human assessment by Will Trikha. Your organization retains operating authority.
THE WORKPLACE PROBLEM
A local improvement can leave the whole flow waiting.
A team speeds up packing while assembly remains constrained. A queue count becomes a claimed lead time. A future map is presented as an achieved result. An event ends with actions assigned to people who never agreed to them.
The useful outcome is a six-record flow review: what was observed, what could change, what would make it feasible, who can permit the test and what evidence would justify continuing.
Who this fits
You can read a simple process record and calculate a rate. No prior Lean qualification is required. Use the fictional case when workplace data or observation permission is unavailable. Actual workplace changes require your organization’s sources, quality/safety review and operating authority.
LABELED FICTIONAL WORKED EXAMPLE
Can a smaller queue supply the missing kits?
Cedar has 420 net production minutes per shift and demand for 210 accepted kits. Its dedicated assembly station cycles at 150 seconds per kit. A future map reduces the queue and keeps the same cycle, staffing and time.
Reveal the calculation and decision
420 × 60 ÷ 150 = 168 ideal gross kits per shift, at least 42 short of accepted demand before rejects or extra loss. A smaller queue alone does not create assembly capacity.
It may still be worth testing a permitted release rule for waiting and priority clarity. Keep the capacity gap, inspection/traceability controls and actual approval boundary visible.
Is inventory divided by demand a measured lead time?
The snapshot’s 280 total kits ÷ 210 kits per shift is 1.333 shifts of demand coverage, including finished stock. Measured elapsed lead time requires matched start/finish timestamps across the same boundary. One is not evidence of the other.
USABLE OUTPUTS
One connected flow-improvement pack.
RECORD 2
Demand, observation and time baseline
Source / revision / observation window / method; Demand quantity / accepted unit / same period; Scheduled time / separate planned losses / available basis. Preserve the source, actual state and next owner.
RECORD 3
Current material and information-flow map
Map boundary / family / observed date / legend; Material flow / process / actual sequence; Information flow / who schedules what and when. Preserve the source, actual state and next owner.
RECORD 4
Future-state hypothesis and feasibility check
Proposed flow and information changes / reason; Hypothesis / mechanism / uncertainty; Takt / capacity / loss basis / feasibility. Preserve the source, actual state and next owner.
RECORD 5
Owned kaizen experiment plan
Bounded test / hypothesis / approved configuration; Actual owner / permission / review capacity; Before definition / measurement plan / comparable population. Preserve the source, actual state and next owner.
RECORD 6
Results, standard-work handover and follow-up
Before and after sources / common definition / denominators; Observed results versus target / arithmetic / limitations; Other changes / unlinked records / uncertainty. Preserve the source, actual state and next owner.
Six editable CSV worksheets and six matching manual Course Hub records. These original draft tools keep planned work separate from performed work. A saved record is not a process approval.
Practice the decision, then keep the record.
Each module moves through a situation, original visual, learner decision, useful feedback, reusable output and coached reflection. Thirty labs include fresh calculation data, evidence tracing, a branching conversation, state classification and written recommendations.
Seven original synthetic-narrated explainers have captions and transcripts. Two material/information-flow maps show current observation versus a proposed rule. About four to six hours is a planning estimate; work at your own pace.
MODULE 1
Choose a family and a decision worth improving
A useful boundary connects a customer need to a decision the team can own. A tidy diagram of mixed routes can conceal the very queue you need to understand.
MODULE 2
Build a baseline with a common time basis
Takt expresses demand against available time; running cycle measures a process; lead time follows an item across a boundary. Treating those as interchangeable produces confident, unusable plans.
MODULE 3
Draw the current material and information flow
A sequence of process boxes is only part of a value stream map. Scheduling signals, queue locations, rejected work and the meaning of each time number make the map usable.
MODULE 4
Make the future state a feasible hypothesis
A future map proposes a different system. It must expose what would need to be true, which constraint remains and what evidence could reject the idea.
MODULE 5
Plan a kaizen experiment people can actually run
A small reversible experiment is useful only when its owners can perform it and its guards protect actual work. An event date cannot replace those commitments.
MODULE 6
Review results and hand over what was learned
A result record compares the same measure, discloses missingness and context, and leaves the receiving owner with a usable standard and next check. It cannot turn a draft into sustained performance.
Support while you learn. Independent work when it counts.
Practice Coach Q helps you question evidence and assumptions. Course Hub brings manual documents, study planning, a focus timer and Apply at Work records into the same course. Automatic document generation, revision and template extraction are disabled; you edit your records yourself.
Assessment and feedback
Complete 30 labs and six reflections, then take a fresh 30-question exam: 24 correct to pass, three attempts, a 24-hour wait after an unsuccessful attempt and no countdown. Personal notes and a calculator are allowed; AI answers and drafting are not. After three failed attempts, support reviews any reopening individually; another attempt is not automatic.
A separate case and six reasoned decisions are marked by Will Trikha against the disclosed rubric: case 16/20, decisions 10/12 and no unresolved critical safety, authority or evidence error. Revision/resubmission is available. No fixed marking turnaround is promised; contact support about timing before enrolling with a deadline. A justified hold, adjust or stop decision can earn full credit.
Assessed course completion is not external accreditation, a Lean professional qualification or delegated workplace authority. The assessment records your course achievement; it does not establish workplace results.
Access and purchase terms
The current Academy offer provides lifetime access to purchased lessons, no recurring course subscription, and Coach Q at 40 requests per rolling 24 hours and six requests per minute; availability can vary. The six-per-minute limit is a request limit, not session length.
Individual Academy purchases follow the published refund policy: request a refund within three days of purchase at will@qmslearning.com; a refund ends course access and invalidates its completion certificate. A different organizational Order may specify other terms.
Five or more seats currently receive the Academy’s 10% team discount. For a quote or PO, use team training. For review questions or appeals, contact will@qmslearning.com.
First lesson
Try the real first guided lesson free. Enter your full name, email and phone, then verify your email. The first lesson opens before purchase; further lessons require enrollment.
YOUR COURSE VALUE STACK
The training. The tools. The feedback. One price.
Compare published training fees, then see everything your QMS course includes.
PUBLISHED TRAINING PRICES
What related training costs, bought separately.
Two selected online courses cover the same broad subjects: Value Stream Mapping and Kaizen. Their scope and services differ from this QMS course.
- US$599
Value Stream Mapping
- US$199.95
Kaizen Certification
Selected two-course totalUS$798.95
Provider prices checked October 21, 2026. MSI’s current discounted fee is used. Fees, taxes and promotions can change.
Important differences: LEI includes 90 minutes of live coaching on your own map; QMS offers feedback on a fictional independent case, without a fixed live-coaching allocation. MSI awards its own CKF credential. QMS does not award either provider’s credential.
What this comparison includes—and where it differs
LEI’s course includes three 30-minute live coaching sessions about your own map, plus resources and templates. QMS provides rubric-based feedback on a fictional independent case and decision reasons; it does not promise that live-coaching time. MSI’s course offers its own Certified Kaizen Facilitator credential and one-year course access. QMS does not award either provider’s credential.
The total adds those two separately purchased courses only. Their subjects overlap; you do not have to buy both to learn these methods. No extra dollar amounts have been added for coaching, worksheets, AI or study tools. This is a selected training-price comparison, not a former QMS price, a claim of identical packages or a promise of workplace savings.
Lower-cost learning options also exist, including the free LEI VSM overview and EPA Kaizen guidance. The QMS offer brings its focused practice, reusable records and independent feedback together.
Everything below is included in your QMS course.
- Included
The Kaizen and Value Stream Mapping course
6 practical modules
Learn to choose a family, establish the baseline, map material and information flow, and prepare a feasible experiment.
- Included
Decision practice with useful feedback
30 labs + 6 reflections
Work fresh calculations, trace evidence and defend a next decision. Practice spotting an attractive claim that the records cannot support.
- Included
Your six-record flow-improvement toolkit
6 editable worksheets
Keep a charter, baseline, current map, future hypothesis, experiment plan and results/handover record. Download the CSVs and reuse the structure.
- Included
Course Hub for your working records
6 matching manual templates
Edit and save your own records, retain revisions and export a copy for actual owner review. Prepared for review is your marker, not an approval.
- Included
Coach Q for practice
Included with the course
Ask for an explanation or a challenge to your reasoning while you learn. Independent assessment support is navigation only. Usage limits apply.
- Included
Human review of independent work
Case + reasoned decisions
Will Trikha reviews a fresh case and your decision reasons against the disclosed rubric. Receive feedback and revise/resubmit; no fixed turnaround is promised.
- Included
Visual explanations you can revisit
7 explainers + 9 diagrams
See current flow versus a future-state hypothesis. Captioned synthetic narration and transcripts let you revisit the method in the format that suits you.
- Included
Study plan and focus timer
Included with the course
Plan manageable sessions around your week and use the focus controls to make room for practice.
- Included
Apply at Work record
Included with the course
Plan a permitted use, record what was actually tried and keep estimates, observed results and reported confirmation separate.
- Included
Final exam and lessons for life
Included with the course
Check your understanding with the final exam and return to purchased lessons when a later flow review needs them. No recurring course subscription.
ONE COMPLETE COURSE
All ten inclusions, together.
Course, practice, editable tools, Course Hub, practice Coach Q, human case review, visuals, study tools, application record and final exam. Keep access to your purchased lessons.
Selected courses bought separatelyUS$798.95
Save US$649.95 compared with buying those two courses separately. Different scope and services; see the comparison above.
This focused flow-improvement course is separate from the broader Lean Six Sigma Green Belt course.
Your QMS course price
Price per named learner, one time. Applicable tax would appear at checkout.
US$149
Questions before you enroll.
Why buy this when free VSM guidance exists?
The Lean Enterprise Institute’s public overview is a useful starting point. This course adds a connected practice sequence, fresh decisions, reusable records and independent human feedback. Choose it when you want a structured sequence and work reviewed against disclosed criteria. Free guidance remains useful; no learning or workplace outcome is guaranteed.
Will this make my process lean or compliant?
No outcome is guaranteed. Real improvement depends on valid observations, feasible resources, affected people and actual authority. Public guidance does not replace your operating methods or quality/safety review.
Can I use my own data or ask AI to complete assessment?
Use only permitted data during practice; fictional records are sufficient. Independent answers must be your own. Coach Q provides navigation-only support during independent work and Hub AI drafting is disabled.
Does a future-state map prove an improvement occurred?
No. It is a proposal to test. Actual matched observations, honest limits and the authorized owner’s decision are needed. A reasoned stop can be more useful than an unsupported success claim.
Ask your manager
Leave with a map and a defensible next decision.
What is observed? What remains a hypothesis? What could make it fail? Who can permit the test, and what would justify the next step? Keep those answers in the six connected records.
Real free lesson
Try the real first lesson before enrolling. Enter your full name, email and phone, then verify your email. The preview opens the first lesson only.
Choose a coherent family,boundary and actual next authority.
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