Value stream map symbols poster

A value stream map uses a small set of symbols so that anyone can read it: a process box for each step where work flows, a data box under it, a triangle for inventory, striped push arrows, supermarkets, pull arrows, FIFO lanes, trucks for shipments and kaizen bursts for the improvements the future state needs. This poster draws ten of the most used symbols, as introduced in Rother and Shook's Learning to See, with one line on each.

Download the poster

The PNG is free to download now. The print-ready vector PDFs open after a short form, once.

Download PNG (300 dpi)2550 x 3300 px, prints at 8.5 x 11 in · 454 KB · no form

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VSM symbols poster — 24 x 36 in18 x 24 inA2A3LetterA4PNG 300 dpi

The words on the poster

Value stream map symbols

The common icons, so everyone reads the map the same way.

Process A step where work flows without stopping.
Data box Cycle time, changeover, uptime, people.
Outside source A supplier or a customer.
Inventory Stock waiting between steps, with its count.
Push arrow Made to a schedule, not to a signal.
Supermarket A small, fixed stock the next step pulls from.
Pull The next step takes what it needs.
FIFO lane First in, first out, with a maximum.
Shipment A truck delivery in or out, and how often.
Kaizen burst An improvement the future state needs.

Symbols after Rother and Shook, Learning to See (Lean Enterprise Institute, 1999).

On the floor

How to use it

Putting the Value stream map symbols poster to work

1
Put it on the wall where value stream maps are drawn, at the eye level of the people drawing.
2
Hand out the Letter size at the start of a mapping workshop.
3
Use it to check a finished map: is every symbol one the whole team can read?
4
Pair it with the free future state VSM worksheet and value stream plan.

Where the poster goes and how to teach with it, in the order to try them.

Which size to print

24 x 36 in or A2: a main wall or team board, read from a few metres away.
18 x 24 in or A3: a station or notice board. The A3 file also fits 11 x 17 in paper.
Letter or A4: a clipboard, binder or handout, on any office printer.

Every PDF is vector, so it stays sharp at full size. Nothing runs to the edge of the page, so no bleed is needed.

Sources and notes

Mapping software and books draw some symbols slightly differently. Information flows (a straight arrow for manual, a lightning arrow for electronic) and the timeline at the bottom of the map are not shown.

Mike Rother and John Shook, Learning to See: Value Stream Mapping to Add Value and Eliminate Muda (Lean Enterprise Institute, 1999): the map symbols, continuous flow, supermarkets and FIFO lanes.