Value Stream Management Foundation (VSM)
 
Course Description
 
DURATION - 16 Hours
 
An introduction to value stream management principles, practices, and tools. Designed to optimize value flow and realization in digital value streams and develop individuals’ skills. Digital value streams include the software applications and services in addition to the platforms that support them e.g., cloud infrastructure or DevOps toolchains.
 
OVERVIEW
The Value Stream Management Foundation course from Value Stream Management Consortium, and offered in partnership with DevOps Institute, is an introductory course taking learners through a value stream management implementation journey. It considers the human, process, and technology aspects of this way of working and explores how optimizing value streams for flow and realization positively impacts organizational performance.
 
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Describe the origins of value stream management and key concepts such as flow, value, and delivery
Describe what value stream management is, why it’s needed and the business benefits of its practice
Describe how lean, agile, DevOps, and ITSM principles contribute to value stream management
Identify and describe value streams, where they start and end, and how they interconnect
Identify value stream roles and responsibilities
Express value streams visually using mapping techniques, define current and target states and hypothesis backlog
Write value stream flow and realization optimization hypotheses and experiments
Apply metrics such as touch/processing time, wait/idle time, and cycle time to value streams
Understand flow metrics and how to access the data to support data-driven conversations and decisions
Examine value realization metrics and aligning to business outcomes, and how to sense and respond to them (outcomes versus outputs)
Architect a DevOps toolchain alongside a value stream and data connection points
Design a continuous inspection and adaptation approach for organizational evolution
 
LEARNER MATERIALS
Sixteen (16) hours of live instructor-led training via the DevOps Institute Education Partner network
Digital Learner Manual including:
          Course slideware
          Value-Added Resources
          Interactive exercises and discussions designed to apply concepts
          Case stories
          Glossary
          Sample exam(s)
Access to additional sources of information
Option to join the DevOps Institute and Value Stream Management Consortium membership communities
 
AUDIENCE
People working in an organization aiming to improve performance, especially in response to digital transformation or disruption. Any roles involved in the creation and delivery of products or services:
Leadership and CXO, especially CIO, CTO, CPO, and CVO
Transformation and evolution leads and change agents
Value stream architects, managers, engineers
Scrum Masters, agile and DevOps coaches and facilitators
Portfolio, product and project managers, and owners
Business analysts
Architects, developers, and engineers
Release and environment managers
IT Ops, service and support desk workers
Customer experience and success professionals

PREREQUISITES
None, although having a working knowledge of lean, agile, DevOps, and value stream principles will be useful.

COURSE OUTLINE
Module 1 - History and Evolution of Value Stream Management and its Application
Value stream management’s origins
Definitions of value stream management
Flow
Lean and systems thinking and practices
Agile, DevOps and other frameworks
Research and analysis
 
Module 2 - Identifying Value Stream
What is a value stream?
Identifying value streams
Choosing a value stream
Digital value streams
Value stream thinking
 
Module 3 - Mapping Value Streams
Types of maps
Value stream mapping
The fuzzy front end
Artifacts
10 steps to value stream mapping
Mapping and management
VSM investment case
Limitations of value stream mapping
 
Module 4 - Connecting DevOps Toolchains
CICD and the DevOps toolchain
Value stream management processes
Value stream management platforms
DevOps tool categories
Building an end-to-end DevOps toolchain
Common data model and tools integrations
 
Module 5 - Value Stream Metrics
The duality of VSM
Downtime in technology
Lean, DORA and Flow metrics
Definition of Done
Value metrics
Benefits hypotheses
Value streams as profit centers
KPIs and OKRs
 
Module 6 - Inspecting the Value Stream
3 Pillars of Empiricism
Organizational performance
Visibility
When to inspect
Data and discovery
Insights and trends
 
Module 7 - Organizing as Value Streams
Value stream alignment
Team types and topologies
Project to product
Hierarchy to autonomy
Target Operating Model
Value stream people
Value stream roles
Value stream funding
 
Module 8 - Evolving Value Streams
Why now?
Transitions
VSM capability matrix
VSM culture iceberg
Learning
Making local discoveries global improvements
Managing value stream interdependencies

CERTIFICATION EXAM
Successfully passing (65%) the 60-minute examination, consisting of 40 multiple-choice questions, leads to the candidate receiving their Value Stream Management Foundation certification and digital badge. The certification is governed and maintained in partnership with DevOps Institute.