In its purest form, when items are processed and moved directly from one process to the next one piece at a time, it is known as:

In its purest form, when items are processed and moved directly from one process to the next one piece at a time, it is known as:

• A. A "supermarket" pull system
• B. Value Stream Mapping
• C. Continuous flow
• D. Low volume Production

Answer: (B)

One-piece flow, also called continuous flow, is the pattern where a single item moves from one operation to the next as soon as it’s completed, with little to no batching or waiting between steps. This keeps work-in-process small and creates a steady, uninterrupted progression from start to finish, which minimizes lead times and waste. The idea is to produce and move one unit at a time along the line, driven by the downstream process being ready. Value stream mapping is a tool to visualize and analyze the entire flow of material and information, helping you see where waste and delays occur and where one-piece flow could be introduced. It isn’t the movement pattern itself. A supermarket pull system uses a buffer to pull material through the process, which can support flow but relies on inventory buffers, not pure one-piece flow. Low volume production describes capacity levels, not the method of moving items between processes.

One-piece flow, also called continuous flow, is the pattern where a single item moves from one operation to the next as soon as it’s completed, with little to no batching or waiting between steps. This keeps work-in-process small and creates a steady, uninterrupted progression from start to finish, which minimizes lead times and waste. The idea is to produce and move one unit at a time along the line, driven by the downstream process being ready.

Value stream mapping is a tool to visualize and analyze the entire flow of material and information, helping you see where waste and delays occur and where one-piece flow could be introduced. It isn’t the movement pattern itself. A supermarket pull system uses a buffer to pull material through the process, which can support flow but relies on inventory buffers, not pure one-piece flow. Low volume production describes capacity levels, not the method of moving items between processes.