Chief Value Stream Architect, formerly ConnectAll CEO, at Broadcom recently shared insights on value stream management. He believes that the debate between managing flow and managing value is misleading and that both concepts are complementary in driving success in value delivery. By integrating both managing flow and managing value, organizations can achieve operational excellence, visibility, alignment, and efficiency, ultimately driving value delivery.
While some may view improving flow and managing value as competing objectives, successful organizations recognize that they are two sides of the same coin and complement each other. In the DevOps world, value stream management focuses on optimizing workflows and minimizing bottlenecks to achieve continuous delivery, while agile methodologies emphasize customer collaboration and responsiveness to change. The integration of both approaches drives operational excellence, providing insights into customer requirements, improving process efficiency, and delivering value to the customer.
Successful software development and delivery require a strong foundation of visibility, alignment, and efficiency to improve decision-making, build trust, align strategy and work, eliminate waste, speed up time to market, and drive continuous improvement. Managing value in software development and delivery is essential due to the intangible nature of the outcome and the constantly changing requirements. Metrics such as cycle time, lead time, process efficiency, and customer satisfaction, along with value stream mapping and monitoring key performance indicators, are crucial for effective value management.
To bridge the gap between managing flow and managing value within organizations, leaders can implement strategies such as fostering open communication channels between teams, providing cross-functional training and opportunities for collaboration, and having regular cross-functional meetings and workshops to facilitate alignment and collaboration. The illusion of dichotomy in value stream management is just that, an illusion. Value stream management in software development and delivery is about enhancing flow and delivering value to the customer, requiring both managing flow and managing value.
Overall, integrating both managing flow and managing value is crucial for driving success in value delivery in software development and delivery. By recognizing the complementarity of these concepts, organizations can achieve operational excellence, improve process efficiency, and ensure that delivered products align with customer needs and expectations. The key lies in synthesizing objectives, fostering collaboration between teams, and aligning efforts towards achieving overall organizational objectives.
