Value Stream Mapping Fundamentals

Introduction to Value Stream Mapping Fundamentals Course

Embark on a transformative journey into the world of Value Stream Mapping (VSM) within the context of DevOps with our accredited 2-day training program, delivered in 4 short days.

Accredited by the DevOps Institute, this course seamlessly integrates Lean principles into DevOps practices, equipping participants with the skills and insights to drive continuous improvement and efficiency within their organizations.

Throughout the course, participants will dive into the crucial role of Lean principles in DevOps and gain practical skills in creating, analyzing, and optimizing Value Stream Maps.

Hands-on exercises provide opportunities to apply VSM techniques, identify bottlenecks, and optimize value delivery, empowering participants to make tangible contributions to their organization’s DevOps initiatives.

Perfect for a diverse range of DevOps professionals, including developers, IT managers, security specialists, and quality assurance experts, this course offers a comprehensive roadmap to mastering VSM in DevOps.

From facilitating VSM workshops to crafting actionable improvement plans, participants will leave with a rich understanding of how to elevate their organization’s DevOps practices and drive sustainable success

Course Objectives

This course offers a deep dive into:

• Lean Principles in DevOps: Understanding their crucial role and application.
• Value Stream Mapping Skills: Techniques for creating and analyzing VSMs, pinpointing bottlenecks, and optimizing value delivery.
• Practical Insights for DevOps: Tools and strategies to elevate your organization’s DevOps practices through effective VSM.

Prerequisites

• Pre-course reading assignment.
• Basic familiarity with software quality assurance testing concepts is beneficial.

Professional Education Hours

Individuals attending this class will earn 16 professional education hours (e.g., PDUs, CPEs, CEUs) upon completion of this course. These professional education hours can be submitted to associations such as the Project Management Institute and ISACA, if applicable.

Audience

This training is designed to prepare attendees to arrange and/or conduct value stream mapping workshops, whether internally or for their customers. This class is for all professionals and organizations involved in improving the delivery of value to customers including:

• Anyone involved in leading an IT transformation
• Individuals who want to better understand how to use value stream mapping in conjunction with a continuous improvement effort
• Anyone who wants to understand when to use value streams mapping (vs. when to focus on process improvement)
• Anyone who wants to learn how to conduct a value stream mapping workshop
• Value stream owners, managers and champions
• Quality, process and continual improvement professionals including consultants, process and practice owners and managers, service management office (SMO) members
• Line managers, team leaders and supervisors who want to improve cross-functional collaboration

Value Stream Mapping Fundamentals Course Outline

Course Introduction

• Course goals
• Course agenda
• Exercise – When is value stream mapping appropriate?

Lean Basic Concepts

• What is Lean?
• 5 principles of Lean thinking
• Making work flow
• Identifying barriers to flow
• Exercise – Identifying waste

Value Stream Basic Concepts

• What is value stream?
• Value stream vs processes
• Anatomy of a value stream map
• Key value stream metrics
• Exercise – How functions and processes underpin value streams

Value Stream Mapping Basic Concepts

• What is value stream mapping?
• Value stream mapping roles and responsiblities
• Exercise – Overcoming challenges
• Value stream mapping workshop activitries
• Value stream mapping deliverables

The Value Stream Mapping Process (high-level process overview)

• Identify value stream mapping opportunities
• Exercise – Identifying problems
• Defining the workshop scope
• Developing a charter

Planning a Workshop

• Identifying and inviting stakeholders
• Exercise – Expecting and overcoming objections
• Data collection and analysis
• Final prepartions
• Common mistakes

Conducting a Workshop

• Kicking off the session
• Mapping the current state
• Exercise – Identifying the steps in a common value stream
• Presenting the current state
• Identifying and prioritizing improvment loops
• Exercise: Identifying improvement loops
• Presenting the target future state
• Exercise – Anticipating and answering tough questions
• Creating a transformation plan
• Exercise – Reinvesting the gains.

Executing the transformation plan

• Roles and responsibilities
• Socializing the plan
• Exercise – Making efforts visible

Mastering Continual Improvement

• Continual improvement methods and techniques (when and how to use)

Managing the Change

• The role of organizational change management
• Exercise – Coordinating initiatives and avoiding change fatigue

Summary and Reflection

• Exercise – Identifying key learnings and setting goals

Exam Prep

Taking Action!

Day 1

• Course Introduction
  • Course goals
  • Course agenda
• Introduction to Lean
  • What is Lean?
  • 5 core Lean principles
  • Exercise: Important terms
• Introduction to Value Stream Mapping
  • What is a value stream?
  • Elements of a value stream map
  • The value stream mapping process (high-level overview)
  • Value stream mapping measurements
• Current State Mapping
  • Tips and techniques
  • Exercise: Create a current state value stream map
• Identifying Barriers to Flow
  • Non-value-added work (waste)
  • Variation
  • Overburden
  • Exercise: Where’s the waste?
• Future State Mapping
  • Identifying improvements
  • Achieving the future state

Day 2

• Value Stream Mapping Roles
  • The Facilitator Role
  • Facilitator Do’s and Don’ts
• Planning a Workshop
  • Defining the workshop scope
  • Identifying and inviting stakeholders
  • Data collection and analysis
  • Setting up the space
• Facilitating a Workshop
  • Kicking off the session
  • Mapping the current state
  • Brainstorming the future state
  • Identifying and prioritizing improvement opportunities
  • Assigning owners
  • Briefing management
• Producing Workshop Deliverables
• Taking Action
  • Common mistakes
  • Creating an action plan
• Summary and Reflection
• Taking Action
• Additional Sources of Information

• Complete pre-class reading assignment
• General knowledge of software quality assurance testing concepts

The main target candidates for this session are:

• Anyone interested in leveraging value stream mapping to drive DevOps
• Developers and operational staff
• IT coaches, managers and team leaders
• DevOps Leaders
• Continuous Delivery Architects
• DevOps Test Engineers
• Security professionals
• Quality assurance professionals
• IT professionals working within, or about to enter, an DevOps or Lean environment
• Business stakeholders interested in learning about Value Stream Mapping and Lean – in the context of DevOps