Value Stream Mapping usually involves people that are part of a particular Solution or Product that is being delivered. In general each Solution or Product goes through stages such as define, build, validate, and release, and so the Value Stream mapping will involve people representing those areas for a Solution or Product: product owners, UX, development, architects, release management, QA, operations, and so on.
The steps required are as a result of looking at all the tools and processes required, manual and automated, to work a feature through the delivery pipeline. We then look at determining some key metics so we can reason about potential improvements in the flow of value delivery.
Typically a workshop is setup to:
Typically this will result in a chart like:
| Metric | Baseline | Target | Gain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Process Time (TPT) | 14d | 7d | 2X |
| Total Flow Time (TFT) | 60d | 15d | 4X |
| Total %C&A | 5% | 50% | 10X |
| Flow Efficiency | 20% | 40% | 2X |
| Flow Velocity | 2 per month | 10 per month | 4X |
These improvements directly translate to improvements that customers and the business appreciate.
Value Stream Mapping is something that should be revisited on a regular basis. The next value stream mapping event for a Solution or Product should be conducted as you see the improvements from the previous event. This might me you do quarterly workshops.