What a yamazumi chart is
A Yamazumi chart stacks each operator's work into value-adding, non-value-adding and waste segments against takt time. It makes line imbalance visible: who is over takt, who has slack, and how much of the "busy" is actually waste.
When to use one
- Balancing a production line or assembly cell against takt
- Quantifying how much of a cycle is waiting, walking or rework
- Planning a rebalance before moving people or stations
The data format
Optional 'takt, sec'. Then Operator, sec:type:label … where type = va / nva / waste.
Paste rows like this — copy the example straight into the builder to see it render:
takt, 60 Op 1, 18:va:Assemble, 22:va:Fasten, 10:nva:Walk Op 2, 25:va:Weld, 20:va:Inspect, 8:waste:Wait Op 3, 30:va:Mount, 14:nva:Fetch Op 4, 16:va:Pack, 12:va:Label, 10:waste:Rework, 8:nva:Move
How to make one
- Paste your data into the Studio, or upload a CSV or XLSX file.
- Set your colours — by hand, from pasted brand hex codes, or extracted from your logo.
- Generate and export as PNG or SVG for your deck or report.
One thing people get wrong. Classify honestly. Everything labelled value-adding produces a chart that looks balanced and tells you nothing about where the time goes.
Why it runs in your browser
Charts are parsed and drawn entirely on your own device. No rows, files or logos are uploaded, so a yamazumi chart built from confidential project or process data never touches a server. You can verify it: open your browser's network tab while you generate one.