What is value stream mapping software?

Software for drawing and analyzing a value stream map: each process step from supplier to customer with its data (cycle time, changeover, uptime), the inventory waiting between steps, the information flow, and a timeline comparing total lead time with value-added time. Drawing tools give you the VSM shapes; analysis tools also calculate the timeline, lead time and process cycle efficiency, and some simulate a future state.

What is the best value stream mapping software?

It depends on how much you want the tool to do. To draw maps by hand, Microsoft Visio, Lucidchart and Miro are the common choices. To have the timeline and lead time calculated, look at Minitab Workspace, iGrafx or Data Point. To build the current-state map from video of the process with measured times, look at LeanSuite. LeanSuite is our product.

Can software build a value stream map automatically?

Partly. LeanSuite's Vision AI builds the current-state map from video of each step and the inventory between steps, filling in cycle time, changeover time, uptime and inventory days; you review and edit it, and steps that can't be filmed are entered by hand (Vision AI is priced separately). Minitab Workspace, iGrafx and Data Point calculate the timeline from data you enter. Visio, Lucidchart and Miro leave the numbers to you.

Which value stream mapping tools publish their pricing?

Lucidchart has a free plan, then $9 a month (Individual) or $10 per user a month (Team) billed annually. Miro has a free plan, then $8 or $20 per member a month billed yearly. Microsoft Visio Plan 2 is $15 per user a month paid yearly. Minitab Workspace comes in Solution Center Core at $2,394 a year per user. Data Point and iGrafx do not publish prices. LeanSuite quotes per facility with unlimited users, prices Vision AI separately, and publishes its pilot price: 90 days for $3,000 per facility.

Do we need software for value stream mapping?

Not for a first map. A walk of the process, a stopwatch, sticky notes and a long sheet of paper are how most teams start, and LeanSuite publishes a free value stream map template and a future-state worksheet. Software helps when you map several product families, want the timeline calculated, need to share the map across sites, or want to update it after each improvement without redrawing it.

Why is LeanSuite first on a list that LeanSuite publishes?

Because it is our page and we would rather say so than hide it in the middle. Read it with that in mind. The other products follow in alphabetical order, each is described only from its own public pages, each entry says who it fits best, and we will correct anything a vendor or reader shows us is wrong.

How did you compare these tools?

We read each vendor's own public pages in October 2026 and used only what they publish. Where we could not find something, the table says not published, which does not mean the product lacks it. LeanSuite is our product. If something has changed, email info@theleansuite.com and we will update the page.

Buyer's guide

Best value stream mapping software

Short answer: Value stream mapping software splits into drawing tools and tools that do the maths. To draw a map by hand with standard VSM shapes, look at Microsoft Visio (Plan 2 at $15 a user a month), Lucidchart (a free plan, then from $9 a month) or Miro (a free plan and workshop templates). To have the timeline, lead time and process cycle efficiency worked out for you, look at Minitab Workspace, iGrafx or Data Point, which also links maps to strategy deployment. LeanSuite builds the current-state map from phone video of each step, with measured cycle times and inventory, then lets you branch it into future-state scenarios and export to Visio. Its value stream mapping is part of Vision AI, priced separately.

Who wrote this: LeanSuite publishes this guide, and LeanSuite is one of the seven products on it. It is listed first because it is our product; the others follow in alphabetical order, which is not a ranking. Every other product is described only from its own public pages, and each entry says where that product fits better than ours.

Last reviewed October 2026. Based on each vendor's public information; tell us if something has changed at info@theleansuite.com.

At a glance

LeanSuite's whole platform next to each product, capability by capability. A question mark means the vendor does not publish it or we could not verify it, not that the product lacks it; the detailed table below has the specifics.

Yes, on the vendor's own site
Partial, limited or a paid add-on
No, outside the product's published scope
Not published, or we couldn't verify it

Swipe sideways to see every product.

At a glance: Best Value Stream Mapping Software
Capability	LeanSuite	Data Point	iGrafx	Lucidchart	Microsoft Visio	Minitab Workspace	Miro
AI
AI root cause analysis	Yes:RCA Agent	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
AI time and motion study from video	Partial:Vision AI, priced separately	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
Video to SOP	Yes:SOP from one video	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
AI one-point lessons (OPLs)	Yes:OPL from before-and-after photos	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
AI drafts checklists and forms	Yes:Lean Creator AI drafts	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
AI sorts and triages ideas	Yes:Lean AI	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
Continuous improvement
Any method: DMAIC, PDCA, A3, 8D or your own	Yes: Incl. your own	Partial: 3C, 4C, 8D, 5 Whys	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
Engineering and CapEx projects with stage-gates	Yes:Four stage-gates	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
Non-manufacturing teams and projects	Yes: Any project type	Yes: Healthcare and service	Yes: Finance, healthcare, insurance	Yes: Any process	Not published	Yes: Product or service streams	Yes: Incl. software teams
Ideas and suggestions with configurable approvals	Yes:Approvals per idea type	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
Savings verified before they count	Yes:Finance signs off	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
Share what worked across sites (yokoten)	Yes:Best Practice Management	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
Frontline operations
Daily issue management with tier escalation	Yes:F-Tags, escalation	Partial: Escalation flagging	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
Tiered meetings and huddle boards	Yes:Lean Studio	Yes: Digital huddle boards	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
Audits and checklists (5S, LPA, CILR), scheduled	Yes:Daily Standard Work scheduling	Yes: Gemba walks, audits	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
Breakdown reporting and maintenance work orders	Yes:EWO; works alongside a CMMS	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
Skills and training
Live skills matrix	Yes:Competency Management	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
Job cover matrix: who can cover each job	Yes:Job Cover Matrix	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
Training (LMS): courses, quizzes, learning plans	Yes:Trainings (LMS)	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
SOP and OPL sign-off per person	Yes:Signed on a tablet	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
Data and platform
KPI dashboards	Yes:KPI Dashboards	Yes: 100+ data sources	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
SSO and a security certification	Yes:SOC 2 Type 1; Entra ID, Okta	Yes: SSO on its VSM page; ISO 27001 on its security page	Partial: SAML documented	Yes: SOC 2 Type 2; SAML on Enterprise	Not published	Partial: ISO 27001:2022; SSO not stated	Yes: SOC 2 Type II; SAML on Business
Operator sign-in with an employee ID, no email	Yes:Employee ID	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
Free plan or published prices	Yes:Free plan for ideas	Not published	Not published	Yes: Free plan	Yes: Plan 2 $15 per user a month	Yes: $2,394 a year (Core)	Yes: Free plan
Mobile app (iOS and Android)	Yes:iOS and Android	Not published	Not published	Yes	Not published	Not published	Yes
Video-based time, motion and ergonomic studies	Partial:Priced separately	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
AI features	Yes	Not published	Yes: Pia drafts maps	Yes: Lucid AI	Not published	Not published	Yes

Based on each vendor's public website, reviewed October 2026; tell us if something has changed at info@theleansuite.com.

How we chose these tools

Value stream mapping (VSM) software draws a product family's path from supplier to customer: each process step with its data, the inventory between steps, the information flow, and a timeline that compares total lead time with the time spent on actual work. The tools range from diagram apps with VSM shapes to tools that calculate the timeline or build the map from data. Each product on this list meets all of these:

VSM is supported
The vendor's own site offers value stream mapping: VSM shapes, a VSM template or a VSM product page. Software delivery value stream management tools are left out.
Usable for operations
The tool can map a manufacturing or office process, not only software delivery.
Still sold in 2026
A live product page with a way to buy, trial or download. Where we found no dated 2026 release, our sources log says so.
Public information
Enough on the vendor's own pages to describe how a map is built and what it calculates. Where pricing or security is not published, the table says so.

Seven value stream mapping tools: LeanSuite first, then alphabetical

1. LeanSuite
Lean manufacturing software whose Vision AI builds a current-state value stream map from video. You film each process step and the inventory between steps on a phone, and the AI creates a box per step with cycle time, changeover time and uptime, counts the inventory and converts it to days of WIP, and works out the lead-time ladder and process cycle efficiency. Steps that can't be filmed can be entered by hand, and branching, merging, rework loops, several product families on one map and office flows captured by screen recording are supported. You branch the map into future-state scenarios with kaizen bursts, compare them side by side, start from an AI-recommended future state, and export to PNG, PDF or VSDX for Visio. Every box is backed by timestamped video, and a re-shoot after an improvement updates the map. Vision AI is priced separately from the facility plan. One flat price per facility with unlimited users; a 90-day pilot costs $3,000 per facility.
Best for: Teams that want the current-state map built from measured times on the floor rather than memory, and kept current by filming again after each kaizen.
LeanSuite AI value stream mapping
2. Data Point
A lean and strategy execution platform from Lean Transition Solutions. Its VSM module builds digital current, future and simulated maps from a full set of lean symbols, with a data box on each process step for cycle time, changeover, batch size, uptime and your own fields; data can be imported from tools such as Excel. Each step is classed as value-added, non-value-added or business value-added, process cycle efficiency is worked out as you go, and a colour-coded time ladder flags the worst step. Maps are version controlled, can be tested with scenario simulation, and link to an X Matrix and action plans. Other modules cover KPI dashboards and huddle boards, with web access on mobile devices. Pricing is by request for a quote. It states ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification and says it is SOC 2 compliant.
Best for: Lean and operational excellence teams that want VSM, simulation and Hoshin Kanri follow-up in one system.
Data Point website
3. iGrafx
Process360 Live, a process intelligence platform for process mining, process design and simulation from a company founded in 1991. Its web modeler has a value stream map template with four VSM shape libraries; values entered on the shapes feed a timeline that adjusts automatically, and VSM diagrams built in recent versions can be simulated. The desktop client adds lean data such as changeover time, availability, defect rate and inventory, takt time, a work balancing graph, separate current and future state timelines, and export of VSM data to CSV or Excel. Its Pia AI assistant can draft process maps from plain language. SAML single sign-on is documented. Pricing is not published. A 2018 press release on its site says it completed a SOC 2 Type II examination.
Best for: Large or regulated organizations that want VSM inside a wider process modeling, mining and simulation platform.
iGrafx website
4. Lucidchart
A browser-based diagramming app from Lucid Software. For VSM it offers shape libraries with the standard VSM symbols and value stream map templates, so maps are drawn by hand on a shared canvas. Shapes can be linked to data from Google Sheets, Excel or CSV files, but Lucid does not describe an automatic VSM timeline or lead time calculation. Teams edit together in real time, comment and present from the editor, and Lucid AI can generate diagrams. Exports include PDF, PNG, SVG, Visio (VSDX) and CSV of shape data, and there are iOS and Android apps. It publishes pricing: a free plan, Individual at $9 a month and Team at $10 per user a month, both billed annually, with Enterprise quoted. Lucid's trust center lists SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001 for Lucidchart, with SAML single sign-on on Enterprise.
Best for: Teams that want a low-cost, shared online VSM drawing that sits next to their other diagrams.
Lucidchart website
5. Microsoft Visio
Microsoft's diagramming software, sold as web and desktop subscriptions and as perpetual Standard and Professional editions. Its Value Stream Map template and shapes stencil let you drag process, information and material shapes onto a page and connect them with push arrows and electronic information connectors. Microsoft notes the template needs Visio Professional or Premium and is not in Visio Standard; on subscriptions, value stream maps are listed under Visio Plan 2. Microsoft describes drawing a current-state map and then a future-state map, with no automatic timeline or lead time calculation. Diagrams can be shared in the web app and Teams and exported to PNG, JPEG, SVG, PowerPoint and Word. Visio Plan 2 is $15.00 per user per month, paid yearly. Security certifications are not covered on the Visio pages we read.
Best for: Organizations already on Microsoft 365 that want standard VSM symbols in a familiar desktop tool and will do the calculations themselves.
Microsoft Visio website
6. Minitab Workspace
A Windows desktop toolkit from Minitab with over 100 templates for process maps, fishbones, FMEA, forms and other improvement tools. Its value stream map uses process and inventory shapes that hold data such as cycle time, inventory, uptime, defects and changeover. The timeline is calculated from that data, and a summary shows total cycle time, value-added and non-value-added time and lead time, with process cycle efficiency as an optional field. It also has a takt time calculator, a current-versus-future-state comparison and Monte Carlo simulation. Workspace comes in the Minitab Solution Center Core plan at $2,394.00 a year for one named user, alongside Minitab Statistical Software. Minitab's trust center lists ISO 27001:2022.
Best for: Six Sigma and quality teams that already use Minitab and want VSM with automatic timeline maths next to their other project tools.
Minitab Workspace website
7. Miro
An online whiteboard. Its template gallery has 12 value stream mapping templates, including a Miro-made template that tracks process time against lead time and a SAFe template for software teams. Maps are built by hand from sticky notes and cards on a shared board; Miro does not describe a VSM icon library or an automatic timeline. Boards add timers, voting, real-time editing and AI diagram generation, and paid plans export frames as high-resolution JPG or PDF. Apps run on iOS, Android, Mac and Windows. It publishes pricing: a free plan, Starter at $8 and Business at $20 per member per month billed yearly, and Enterprise by quote. Miro lists ISO/IEC 27001 and SOC 2 Type II, with SAML single sign-on on Business and Enterprise. In September 2026 Miro agreed to be acquired by Bending Spoons.
Best for: Teams running remote or hybrid VSM workshops who care more about working together on the map than about calculations.
Miro website

The seven tools side by side

From each vendor's public pages. Not published means we could not find it, not that the product lacks it. "Not published" means we could not find it publicly, not that the product lacks it.

Swipe the table sideways to see every column.

The seven tools side by side
Capability	LeanSuite	Data Point	iGrafx	Lucidchart	Microsoft Visio	Minitab Workspace	Miro
Value stream maps
Main focus	Lean modules; VSM from video in Vision AI	Lean strategy platform with a VSM module	Process mining, modeling and simulation	Online diagramming	Diagramming in Microsoft 365	Improvement toolkit: VSM, FMEA, fishbone	Online whiteboard
How the map is built	AI builds it from phone video; manual steps allowed	Lean symbols; data imported from Excel	VSM template with lean data on shapes	Drawn by hand; shapes link to sheet data	Drawn by hand from the VSM stencil	Drawn by hand; data on each shape	Drawn by hand from templates
Times and lead time	C/T, C/O, uptime from video; WIP days, lead-time ladder, PCE	Value-added split and PCE; time ladder	Timeline adjusts automatically	Manual; no automatic timeline stated	Manual	Timeline, lead time and PCE calculated	Manual
Future state	Branch scenarios with kaizen bursts; AI-suggested future state	Future and simulated maps, versions	Separate timelines; simulation	Drawn separately	Drawn as a second diagram	Current vs future comparison	Drawn on the board
Export	PNG, PDF, VSDX for Visio	Not published	VSM data to CSV or Excel	PDF, PNG, SVG, VSDX, CSV	PNG, JPEG, SVG, PowerPoint, Word	PDF	JPG or PDF
Buying
Pricing	Per facility, quote; 90-day pilot $3,000; Vision AI priced separately	Not published; request a quote	Not published	Published: free plan; from $9 a month	Published: Plan 2 $15 per user a month	Published: $2,394 a year in Solution Center Core	Published: free plan; from $8 per member a month
Security	SOC 2 Type 1 report; secure cloud hosting	ISO/IEC 27001:2022; says SOC 2 compliant	SAML SSO; SOC 2 Type II (2018 release)	SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001; SAML on Enterprise	Not on the Visio pages we read	ISO 27001:2022 (trust center)	ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 2 Type II; SAML on Business
Apps	Web, iOS and Android	Web on mobile devices	Web and Windows client	Web, iOS and Android	Web, Teams, Windows desktop	Windows desktop	Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows

Where LeanSuite is different

This part is about our own product, so read it as LeanSuite's pitch; the entries above describe every other tool from its own pages. Each point links to the LeanSuite page that shows it.

A current-state map built from video
Film each process step and the inventory between steps on a phone. The AI builds the map with cycle time, changeover time, uptime, inventory in days and the lead-time ladder, and every box is backed by timestamped video. Vision AI is priced separately.
AI value stream mapping
The future state in the same map
Branch the current-state map into future-state scenarios with kaizen bursts and compare them side by side. Process cycle efficiency is worked out from the map, and maps export to PNG, PDF or VSDX for Visio.
Future-state maps
Findings go straight into improvement work
A finding from a study becomes a Kaizen in one click, in the same platform that runs daily issues, audits, tiered meetings, skills and improvement projects.
From video to Kaizen
Improvement next to the daily work
Issues, audits, tiered meetings, skills and training sit in the same platform. A failed audit question can become a new kaizen, and when you launch a kaizen or engineering project you see who has the skills it needs.
How the modules connect
A 90-day pilot at a published price
$3,000 per facility for 90 days, with the first module live in under a week. Pricing is per facility with unlimited users.
The pilot

Which one fits

A current-state map built from measured video, kept current after each kaizenLeanSuite
VSM with automatic timeline maths next to your Six Sigma toolsMinitab Workspace
VSM inside a process mining and simulation platformiGrafx
Maps linked to Hoshin Kanri and action plansData Point
Standard VSM symbols in a tool your company already hasMicrosoft Visio
A shared online VSM drawing at a low priceLucidchart
A remote VSM workshop on a whiteboardMiro
A first map with a pencil and a wallA free value stream map template

Map the real flow, not the one on the whiteboard

Try LeanSuite in your browser with sample data, or run it on your own lines for 90 days with the setup done by our team. If you are not ready for software, start with the free value stream map template, future-state worksheet or lead time calculator.

See it in action Start a 90-day pilot

What customers say

“Great user-friendly software! It's covering everything that WCM or similar Lean Programs are asking to do, in a very effective way.”
Elena M.Global Head of Marelli Manufacturing System Automotive, Marelli
“The Project Tracking System generates significant savings while ensuring seamless delivery... The Global Kaizen Power Pitch completely transformed our ability to share best practices.”
Ramsey AljahmiSr. Director of NAR Operations Excellence, Whirlpool Corporation
Read the case study

FAQ