Lean Manufacturing & Operations worked example

Value Stream Lead Time with total value-added processing time of 5 days: a worked example

What does the result look like when total value-added processing time reaches 5 days? The full calculation is worked below with real intermediate numbers. Use this calculator when completing a value stream map (VSM) to total the lead time across all process steps. The result shows the end-to-end time from order receipt to customer delivery.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Total value-added processing time: 5 days (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 2)
  • Total queue and wait time: 12 days (unchanged)
  • Total transport and other non-value time: 3 days (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Value Stream Lead Time = Processing Time + Queue Time + Transport/Other Time) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 20 days for total value stream lead time (days), the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 5 days for element 1.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 12 days for element 2.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 3 days for element 3 + 4.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where total value-added processing time sits at 2 days and the headline result is 17 days, this scenario comes in 17.65% above the baseline at 20 days.
  • A figure at this level is achievable when total value-added processing time is genuinely sustained, not just peaked for a shift. It assumes a single, linear flow with additive stage times and does not model parallel paths, shared resources, or variability in queue times.

Results at a glance

  • Total value stream lead time (days): 20 days (headline result)
  • Element 1: 5 days
  • Element 2: 12 days
  • Element 3 + 4: 3 days

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Value Stream Lead Time calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.