Media Lane

[Kent Vincent]

I had my first exercise with a Makagami map last week. 
I wasn't clear on how the document or "media" lane is used to capture documents, screen shots or other elements that are exchanged across steps in a process.  The medium may move horizontally down its lane, cross to an adjacent lane, jump several lanes (as when a waiter delivers an order slip to the kitchen, bypassing service management), or, of course, die temporarily or permanently in an in box or holding area for approval, etc.  How does the depiction compare, say, with showing "mechanisms" on an IDEF0 diagram, where vertical arrows from the bottom border of the chart show how a computer program or tool correlates to a process box? 
Note that with IDEF0, a document or procedural item can point to the top of a box if it controls or governs that task.  It just seems to me that more detail is needed as to how the physical or electronic pieces move about, change custody, and get transformed or stalled.

[Arno Koch]

The media-lane visualizes what data-carriers are being used to carry the data in the activities. It is not intended  to follow the data-carrier, however if needed you might do so.

My experience is that it is enough to visualize the enormous masses of data-carriers to convince that there is a lot of redundancy and not needed complexity. Goal Achieved, no more need for extra analysis of the loss!

The principle: Once a loss has been identified, in stead of further describing, following and analysing, get rid of it! That is the main purpose of the current state Makigami! To Visualize where the losses are. Once you can see them: eliminate them!