Value Stream mapping

Value stream mapping is a visual tool used in Lean and Agile methodologies to analyze and improve the flow of materials and information required to bring a product or service to a customer.

Value stream mapping is a practical and highly effective way to learn, identify and eliminate correlations, redundancies and gaps in work execution.

The roots of visual stream mapping can be traced to a visual mapping technique used at toyota Motor Corporation known as “material and information flows”.

Value stream maps offer a holistic view of how work flows throught the entire system, and they differ from process maps in several significant ways.

Definition of Value Stream Mapping

Visual Representation

Value stream mapping provides a visual representation of the end-to-end process involved in delivering a product or service, from the initial customer request to its fulfillment.

Analysis of Current State

Value stream mapping allows teams to analyze the current state of their processes by mapping out every step and documenting key metrics such as cycle time, lead time, and process time.

Oriented towards Continuous Improvement

By visualizing the current state and identifying opportunities for improvement, value stream mapping enables teams to implement targeted changes aimed at streamlining processes, reducing waste, and increasing efficiency.
This culture of continuous improvement is facilitated by the structured approach of value stream mapping.

Benefits of Value Stream Mapping

First, value stream maps provide an effective means to establish a strategic direction for making improvement. Value stream is the macro perspective, provide the means for leadership to define strategic improvements to the work flow, whereas process-level mapping enables people who do the work to design tactical improvements.

Second, value steam maps provide a highly visual, full-cycle view -a storyboard- of how work progresses from a request of some sort to fulfilling that request.

Third, the process of value stream mapping deepens organizational understanding about the work systems that deliver value and suport the delivery of value to customers, which aids in better decision making and work design.

Use Cases

Value Streams and ITSM

Value Stream mapping was originally developed in manufacturing context, yet it applies equally well to the creation and delivery of services, for example as described in ITIL.

Many different value streams are to be found in IT and service management, and they vary depending on the origins of the opportunity or demand, the required outcomes, and associated value.

For example, the flow of activity for restoring a service as quickly as possible, delivering a service at the agreed levels of avalilability, or dealing with a service change could each be defined in a service value stream map.

Value streams and SAFe

Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) is the most widely used scaling agile methodology.

Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) defines several types of value streams, including Supporting Value Streams.

Supporting activities are the functions that enable and support the primary activities of a business in order to create value for customers. These activities are essential for the efficient and effective operation.

Supporting Value Streams are a set of activities that provide support services to other value streams.

Examples of Supporting Value Streams in SAFe include:

Human Resources (HR): HR provides support services to other value streams by managing employee onboarding, benefits, and performance evaluations.
Finance and Accounting: Finance and accounting provide support services to other value streams by managing budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting.
Legal: Legal provides support services to other value streams by managing contracts, intellectual property, and regulatory compliance.
Facilities: Facilities provide support services to other value streams by managing office space, equipment, and other physical resources.
Procurement: Procurement provides support services to other value streams by managing vendor relationships, purchasing, and supply chain management.

Others

The results of a value stream mapping can be used in many contexts, such as writting out a business case, defining priorities, optimizing service value steams and practices within the organization, pinpoiting bottlenecks in existing practices, and/or gaining a common understanding of issues affecting the organization.

In the case of Value Streams, any practice that helps to improve the speed, quality, or efficiency or the process can support value streams. For example:

Automated testing: Implementing automated testing can help support the value stream by catching defects early in the development process, reducing the time and effort needed for rework and increasing the speed of delivery.
Continuous integration and deployment: Setting up a continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD) pipeline can help support the value stream by automating the build, testing, and deployment processes. This can help reduce errors and improve the speed and reliability of software delivery.
Cross-functional teams: Creating cross-functional teams that include members from different departments, such as development, operations, and quality assurance, can help support the value stream by promoting collaboration and reducing handoffs between teams.
Lean principles: Implementing lean principles, such as visual management, standardized work, and continuous improvement, can help support the value stream by reducing waste and improving efficiency.
Agile methodologies: Using agile methodologies, such as Scrum or Kanban, can help support the value stream by promoting collaboration, flexibility, and rapid feedback cycles, which can help teams to deliver high-quality products more quickly.
Value stream mapping: Conducting value stream mapping can help support the value stream by identifying bottlenecks and areas of waste in the development process, which can be targeted for improvement.

Online Value Stream Collaboration platform

However, the most important role of a value stream map is to determine which improvement actions need to be implemented to achieve the desired future result.

At KVASAR we believe that Value stream thinking is a fundamental mindset for business success.

Without this mindset, companies fail to develop customer-centric processes and fail to organize themselves to best serve the very purpose of their existence.

Discover how KVASAR AGILE MANAGEMENT helps your organisation easily and quickly map value streams in a collaborative way for IT strategy.

In today’s digital age, collaboration is essential to success, and online tools provide an easy and efficient way to work together, regardless of location or time zones. With collaborative online tools, individuals and teams can work on projects in real-time, share ideas and feedback instantly, and keep track of progress seamlessly.

KVASAR Agile Management provides a platform for communication and can improve productivity by reducing the time and effort required to coordinate and collaborate.

Moreover, KVASAR can improve accountability, transparency, and organization, as all changes and updates are recorded and tracked. This feature also enables team members to view the history of the project and refer back to previous versions or comments, helping to ensure that everyone is on the same page.

The benefits of using KVASAR as Value Stream collaborative online diagram are numerous:

Increased Productivity: Visual online diagram tools allow teams to work together more efficiently and effectively by eliminating the need for lengthy explanations or written instructions. This can save a considerable amount of time and reduce errors, ultimately leading to increased productivity.
Enhanced Collaboration: Visual online diagram tools provide a platform for remote teams to work together seamlessly, regardless of location or time zones. Teams can work on diagrams in real-time, share ideas and feedback instantly, and keep track of progress effortlessly, leading to enhanced collaboration and teamwork.
Better Communication: Visual online diagram tools help to improve communication by providing a visual representation of ideas and concepts. This can help to ensure that everyone is on the same page, reducing the likelihood of misunderstandings or confusion.