How does value flow — and where does time die?
Flow Efficiency: ~2% — 5 hours work in 16 days. And Step 5 never happens.
Full ASCII diagram
VALUE STREAM MAP: PROMPT DECK
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
[TRIGGER: Too many priorities — new venture, new quarter, life crisis]
│
▼
┌──────────────────┐
│ 1. CAPTURE │ C/T: 60min Wait: 0 %C&A: 50%
│ Write everything │
│ down (whiteboard,│
│ Notion, Miro) │
└────────┬──────────┘
│ (no wait — happens in the same session)
▼
┌──────────────────┐
│ 2. COMPRESS │ C/T: 30min Wait: 1-3d %C&A: 30%
│ Try to pick what │
│ matters. Energy │
│ drops. Meeting │
│ ends. │
└────────┬──────────┘
│ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░ (1-3 days: energy drops, no structure forces completion)
▼
┌──────────────────┐
│ 3. DOCUMENT │ C/T: 3hrs Wait: 1-3d %C&A: 20%
│ Slides, plan, │
│ business doc. │
│ Blank page. │
└────────┬──────────┘
│ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░ (1-3 days: procrastination, blank page problem)
▼
┌──────────────────┐
│ 4. SHARE │ C/T: 30min Wait: 3-7d %C&A: 40%
│ Present to team, │
│ board, investors │
└────────┬──────────┘
│ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ (3-7 days: scheduling, format mismatch)
▼
┌──────────────────┐
│ 5. UPDATE │ C/T: never Wait: ∞ %C&A: 0%
│ Try to maintain. │
│ Fails. │
│ Always fails. │
└────────┬──────────┘
│
▼
[OUTPUT: Frozen artifact. Clarity decays. Repeat next quarter.]
Cycle Time: ~5 hours (actual work)
Wait Time: ~11 days (energy drops + procrastination + scheduling + forgetting)
Lead Time: ~16 days (trigger to shared artifact)
Flow Efficiency: 5h / 16 days ≈ 2%
World-class: >40% Good: 20-40% Typical: 5-15% CURRENT: ~2%
THE REAL PROBLEM: Step 5 never happens. Every existing tool creates
clarity once, then the artifact freezes. No return mechanism. No
comparison. No compounding. The waste isn't in creation — it's in decay.
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Bottlenecks
| Rank | Step | Wait | Root Cause | Instrument Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Update | Infinite | No mechanism to return, compare, iterate | Weekly snapshot comparison + gap highlighting |
| 2 | Compress | 1-3 days | Energy drops after capture, no structure forces completion | 5x5 constraint forces compression in-session |
| 3 | Document | 1-3 days | Blank page problem, procrastination | Grid IS the document — filling is documenting |
| 4 | Share | 3-7 days | Scheduling, format mismatch (they expect slides) | Share link: read-only grid, no slides needed |
| 5 | Capture | 0 wait | Everything captured but nothing structured | Five columns force structured capture from start |
Seven Wastes
| Waste | Current | With Instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Waiting | 11 days of gaps between steps | Fill + snapshot in one session. Return in 10 min. |
| Rework | Remake slides before every meeting | Living deck — grid IS the slide |
| Overproduction | 40-page plans nobody reads | 25 cells max. Constraint prevents overproduction. |
| Inventory | Multiple versions across tools (Notion, Docs, Miro, photos) | One grid. One source of truth. Snapshots for history. |
| Over-processing | Beautiful slides that freeze on creation | No slides. Fill cells. Gaps visible. Done. |
Target State
With instrument:
Step 1: FILL — Open Prompt Deck, fill 25 cells C/T: 20 min
Step 2: GAPS — See empty cells highlighted C/T: instant
Step 3: RETURN — Weekly, compare snapshot C/T: 10 min
Step 4: COMPOUND — Grid evolves each pass C/T: ongoing
Per session: ~30 min
Frequency: weekly (vs quarterly)
Decay: zero (grid persists, snapshots compare)
The bottleneck shifts from "can't maintain clarity" to
"do I return weekly?" That's why D7 > 35% is the kill metric.
Gate
Before moving to Dependency Map:
- All 5 steps documented with cycle time — YES
- Wait time measured between each step — YES (0 to infinite)
- Flow efficiency calculated — YES (2% current)
- Bottlenecks identified and ranked — YES (5 ranked, #1 is the infinite wait)
- Waste types categorized — YES (5 of 7 present)
- Target state defined — YES (30 min/week, continuous vs quarterly)
Context
- Outcome Map — Previous: what does success look like
- Dependency Map — Next: what must happen first
- Value Stream Map Template — The empty pattern