The final unit looks at sustaining the seeds of continuous improvement that have been planted by focusing on a single process improvement project. Students, at this stage of the course, have acquired the basic skills and knowledge to further apply lessons learned on additional processes and consider performance measurement of the entire technical services value stream. A value stream is the sum of all related processes that deliver (or provide access to) a product or service. For example, the value stream of books would include the processes of selection, acquisition, cataloging, and shelving. Objectives and outcomes of this unit involve consideration and practices of the value stream management (VSM) framework outlined by authors Maskell and Baggaley (2004). The value stream performance measurements are similar (or the same) as the single process measurements but reported less frequently. The results are used to benchmark the departments' current state and illustrate continuous improvement and progress towards the performance goals that lead to achievement of the library's larger organisational goals or initiatives, especially those related to discovery and access.
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