What is Spaghetti diagram
Spaghetti diagram is a method to visualize the physical flow of products or movement of persons.
Why Spaghetti diagram
General advantages
- Shows unnecessary conveyance of products and motion of persons.
Reduces waste types
- ☑ Conveyance
- ☐ Inventory
- ☑ Motion
- ☐ Waiting
- ☐ Overproduction
- ☐ Overprocessing
- ☐ Correction
When to use Spaghetti diagram
Essential conditions
None
N/A
Non-essential conditions
None
N/A
How to implement and use Spaghetti diagram
Implementation
- Draw a map of the environment taken from above.
- Indicate the different locations on the map where products are handled or where persons must move to perform their tasks.
- Draw the lines of conveyance (for products) or movement (for persons) between the different locations. These lines are the reason why this diagram type is called a “spaghetti diagram”.
Use
- With the current state Spaghetti diagram, try to optimize the locations to minimize both conveyance and motion.
- This leads to the future state Spaghetti diagram.
Where to find it
IASSC Body of Knowledge:
Lean: 15
Yellow ➔ Understand
Green ➔ Evaluate
Black ➔ Create
Lean Six Sigma: –
Yellow ➔ N/A
Green ➔ N/A
Black ➔ N/A
About the Author
Floris Lap is an IASSC-certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and founder of Procestimal. He empowers organizations to maximize value and reduce waste through practical Lean Six Sigma solutions—contributing to a more sustainable world where businesses thrive with minimal resources. Contact us
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