Value stream mapping is a lean / high performance tool, proven initially in manufacturing, but with increasing application in public sector service and administrative settings.  It involves a visual approach to identifying value adds and non-value adds in current operations, barriers to flow, and areas of waste.  The process produces maps of the current state and desired future state, and pilot projects and implementation plans designed to move the organization to the future state.  In most cases, the mapping and implementation planning is done by a team of employees close to the work, while a leadership team provides the necessary support.

The WIRED economic region is a diverse and geopolitically complicated environment with a shared labor shed.  The complexity of the region means that job seekers and employers are faced with an array of processes, regulations, programs and jurisdictional boundaries that make it difficult to navigate the system.  WIRED partners used value stream mapping to:

Identify best practices, solutions to common problems, and opportunities for consistent practice throughout the labor shed.
Support continued development of the partnerships at WorkSource centers.
Develop WorkSource centers as high performance enterprises, valued by job seekers and businesses.

The value stream effort was facilitated by the Oregon Manufacturing Extension Partnership (OMEP).