Value Stram Mapping has been around for years, but it is only recently that I started hearing about it in the context of software development. Maybe the renewed attention can get us to focus at the whole process rather than only the development part?
Nearly all projects I have either been involved in or heard of that claim they are using Scrum, are only using it for the development part of the process. The total process from an idea is born until it is in production usually consists of a gazillion boxes and arrows where the development part is one of the boxes. By optimizing this little box (for example by introducing Scrum), the process efficiency (if you are lucky) maybe increases from 4.0% to 4.1%…. Is this what we call sub-optimizing…?
Value Stream Mapping can help us optimize the parts that really gives impact and is an excellent tool for removing waste.
Totally agree!
According to the theory of constraints (TOC) you always have a bottle neck in a system or process. If, and only if, the development box is the bottle neck in your process you will improve the total leadtime by improving the development box. But if your bottle neck is elsewhere you can optimize your develeopment box as much as you like, without improving the leadtime one bit.