Capture operational value stream data

The license package Lean Portfolio Management is required to work with operational value streams. The use case Agile Implementation must be activated.

An operational value steam describes the sequence of value stream steps that an organization performs to deliver a product or service that provides a continued flow of value to the company. Value streams allow 'value' in terms of the usefulness, advantage, or benefit of IT solutions to be articulated and measured in the business architecture. Non-monetary examples of value are, for example, the successful delivery of a product or service or access to up-to-date information to make better business decisions. The operational value stream includes all steps from the initial request to the final fulfillment and support and captures how value flows through day-to-day business operations.

Users with the user profiles Portfolio Manager, and Portfolio Admin can add and edit operational value streams in Alfabet. Click for an overview of permission concepts.

In the navigation panel, click Agile Architecture > Operational Value Streams.​ Per default, the data workbench displays only a set of basic attributes. You can add more columns to capture other attributes directly in the data workbench or you can navigate to an operational value stream's content area and define it in more detail there. Click to learn about how to use data workbenches.

Create a new operational value stream from scratch. Go to Agile Architecture > Operational Value Streams and click New > Operational Value Streams. Specify the operational value stream's attributes as well as the relationships that the operational value stream has to other assets in the repository. All mandatory fields must be defined to create the operational value stream and save it.

Edit the attributes and relationships for an operational value stream. Click the Navigate  Navigate button next to an operational value stream to open its content area. Specify the epic's attributes as well as the relationships that the operational value stream has to other assets in the repository.

Try to capture as much information as possible about the operational value stream because complete data considerably improves the results of business questions and other analytics.

Once an operational value stream is in the repository, you can define more details about it in the Operational Value Streams data workbench.

Per default, the data workbench displays a limited set of basic attributes. You can add more columns via the Structure column to capture other attributes directly in the data workbench.

Or specify and analyze the operational value stream in detail in its content area . In the data workbench, click the Navigate button for an operational value stream to open its content area > Overview page.

Define the operational value stream's basic data. All mandatory fields must be defined to create the operational value stream and save it.

A role represents a functional responsibility that a user or organization has for the operational value stream. Assigning users and organizations to roles is critical to understanding responsibility for assets in the IT and is required to answer the business question Who is responsible for our assets?.

Responsibilities are based on preconfigured role types. Your company may also configure custom role types via the Portfolio Admin user profile. Depending on the role type, a specified user and/or a specified organization may fulfill the responsibility for the operational value stream. A user assigned responsibility via a role has read-only permissions to the operational value streams. To change data about the operational value stream, they must also be specified as an authorized user or member of an authorized user group.

Roles can be assigned to an operational value stream in the Operational Value Streams data workbench or the operational value stream content area via Overview > Responsibilities. A person can have one of the following roles or a custom role added by your company:

To specify responsibilities for the operational value stream:

  1. Click in the relevant role field to open the selector.
  2. Expand the ORGANIZATION or USER sections in the selector and select the person or organization fulfilling the role.
  3. Click OK to save the role definition and close the selector.

A value stream step describes each stage required for the operational value stream in order to deliver value to relevant stakeholders. The value stream step captures the value provided by the value stream step as well as the solutions (applications and components) that enable the value stream step to be performed efficiently. By mapping which solutions support which steps, organizations can see where technology investments matter most and where improvements will have the greatest impact on customer value.

Create a value stream step for the operational value stream. Go to the operational value stream's content area > Overview > Value Stream Steps. Click the  New plus sign button > Create New Value Stream Step. Specify a name that describes the step as well as the business owner and stakeholder of the step.

Order the value stream steps as a coherent flow of steps. Click the  New plus sign button > Sequence Value Stream Steps. In the editor, select a value stream step and click the Up and Down buttons to organize the steps in the order you want. The steps will show up in this sequence in the Value Stream Diagram view.

Specify the business capabilities that enable or support the value stream step. In the Value Stream Steps view, click the Navigate  Navigate button next to an value stream step to open its content area. Specify one or more business capabilities in the Business Capabilities field. The business capabilities will be displayed for the value stream step in the Value Stream Map view for the operational value stream.

Specify the value delivered to the customer or business by the value stream step. The value of each value stream step should be articulated in a way that is customer-centric, measurable, and outcome-oriented.

In the Value Stream Steps view, click the Navigate  Navigate button next to an value stream step to open its content area. In the Delivered Value view, click the  New plus sign button > Create Value Stream Value. In the editor, specify a short text that describes the value of the value stream step and how it contributes to the operational value stream. You specify multiple delivered values. The values will be displayed for the value stream step in the Value Stream Map view for the operational value stream.

Specify the solutions that provide the value stream step. In this context, a solution refers to the applications or components in the repository that enable the value stream step. Ideally the solutions are consistent for the value stream steps across the operational value stream.

In the Value Stream Steps view, click the Navigate  Navigate button next to an value stream step to open its content area. In the Solutions field, select the applications and components that enable the value stream step. The solutions can be reviewed for consistency for all value stream steps in the Value Stream Map view for the operational value stream.

The value stream step map lets you compare each value stream step across consistent dimensions, making patterns like bottlenecks, misalignments, handoff issues, or architectural risks visible. By identifying pain points in the operational value stream you can reduce complexity and the strengthen alignment between business and technology.

Go to the operational value stream's content area > Analysis > Value Stream Map. Here's how to interpret the information:

  • The current operational value stream is shown in the value stream header cell.
  • The value stream steps are displayed horizontally in the top row on the X-axis and show the sequence of value-adding steps for the operational value steam. Review each step to ensure that it is adding value.
  • The Y-axis shows the categories of information used to analyze each value stream step. these include the following:
    • Stakeholder: The stakeholder that has initiated the value stream or facilitates aspects of the value delivered by the value stream. Ensure that each value stream step has a stakeholder owning it.
    • Value: The value derived for the customer or business by the value stream step. Ensure that each value stream step has a value specified that is customer-centric, measurable, and outcome-oriented.
    • Solutions: The applications and components that provide value by enabling the value stream step. Review whether there is continuity across the solutions or whether they are multiple and fragmented. Too many different applications and components across the operational value stream could increase complexity and operational risk. Consider whether these can be consolidated.
    • Developmental Value Streams: Shows the development value streams that have solutions that are relevant for a value stream step. A development stream is displayed if it has a solution defined that is also defined for value stream step define for operational value stream.
    • ART: Shows the agile release train associated with the operational value stream. An agile release train is shown if the ART affects a solution (application or component) that is also defined as a solution for a value stream step.
    • Business Capability: The business capabilities that enable or support the value stream step. Ensure that each value stream step has at least one business capability specified since missing capabilities indicate unclear ownership and investment.
  • Click the ThreeDots_Black 3-dots button > View > Join Items Horizontally to join similar items across adjacent value stream steps. This will help you to identify potential inconsistencies and gaps in the value stream delivery.

Go to the operational value stream's content area > Investment Context > Epic Kanban.

The Epic Kanban view shows a Kanban-like matrix displaying epics that impact the operational value stream. The epics colored by their epic type and positioned in lanes according to their status. Drag an epic and move it to a different lane as needed. The lanes represent the following statuses:

  • Funnel: New epic under initial consideration.
  • Reviewing: Epic being evaluated to determine if it is aligned with business goals.
  • Analyzing: Deeper assessment of epic for feasibility and impact.
  • Backlog: Epic is waiting to be prioritized and allocated resources.
  • MVP: A minimal version with one or more features is created to test assumptions and gather feedback.
  • Persevere: Based on feedback, the epic continues, pivots, or stops.
  • Done: Epic is complete, tested, and ready for release.

Operational value streams are assigned to the architecture scope of an epic in the Affected Architecture view in the epic's content area.

Go to the operational value stream's content area > Investment Context > Strategic Themes. Specify the strategic themes that the operational stream supports. The operational value stream will be visualized in the Strategic Alignment view of the operational value stream.