Statistical information allows a company to identify a value stream, determine flow, define pull and improve process. Value stream mapping allows a company to analyze the flow of materials and information to bring a product or service to a consumer.  This can be accomplished by using a map to show values and flows of a product to determine when the materials flow and when they do not.

A big chain such as Walmart would use this type of information to determine when their sales are the highest. The map for the holiday gift buying season would be excessively high due to people shoppping for the holidays but would drop dramatically during the month of January as all the sales are over. 

A map can also determine when things sell, such as snow shovels, of course snow shovels would sell more during the month of February than the month of June.  A business that operates by looking at supply and demand; would be wise to use value stream mapping in that they can increase their productivity during the months that consumers need such supplies. 

Lean Six Sigma is the numbers of the Six Sigma system. It is the ‘leaner’ side of the Six Sigma method, but still the end result is the same:  create products with virtually no mistakes to satisfy the customer.  Both processes go hand in hand, and differ only in the way they handle the tasks.

Six Sigma is more of a ‘hands-on’ approach, while Lean Six Sigma takes the back seat approach by analyzing numbers, predicting and controlling a products manufacturing, and therefore reducing wastes. Lean Six Sigma and Six Sigma both possess information that is extremely valuable to the company just in different ways. 

If Lean Six Sigma did not exist, a company could not predict nor control their products inventory. Both Lean and the Six Sigma method are needed for any business to succeed in today’s market.