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In focus: Value Stream Mapping
When organizations decide to tackle problems in the software delivery process, they usually immediately focus on tools and other technical aspects. Let’s throw in some Jenkins, Ansible, Bamboo and UrbanCode, and everything will be all right.
What they actually want to achieve is an optimal flow of value to the end-users. This is done by identifying and removing bottlenecks in the software delivery process, one by one, starting with the largest one. Sometimes those bottlenecks are indeed eliminated by introducing tools. But more often than not, those bottlenecks are of organizational nature.
The best approach to optimizing value flow is to first better understand the flow by visualizing it. A common technique used to better understand the value flow is called Value Stream Mapping. By mapping the value flow (or value stream) we can objectively pinpoint the biggest bottleneck and start from there. We want to focus our efforts on things that give us the most bang for the buck. Don’t get us wrong, tools are great, but our experience shows that more often than not, the largest and nastiest bottlenecks are eliminated by tweaking the process or fixing team collaboration.
This is great because such tweaks cost zero in terms of tools and licenses. On the other hand, such organizational tweaks are sometimes the hardest because they imply tackling the organizational status quo. But rest assured, in the end, the benefits always outweigh the effort.
Riding with the Queen
We have been following Sasha Rosenbaum’s work and binge-watching her talks for quite some time now! Particularly interesting are her experiences in introducing DevOps culture while transforming the way Microsoft works internally. She currently works as Sr. Program Manager on a product called Azure DevOps that supports the complete product delivery lifecycle. We have talked with Sasha about her involvement in DevOps community, her experiences during large transformations and favorite mistakes she has made along the way.
—“Riding with the Queen/King” is our series featuring short interviews with super interesting people from the field of technology.
Worth of your time
+ You know how people like to explain every situation by pulling out some weird law? No worries, we’ve got you covered! We have found all the Laws and Principles named after people, random abbreviations and 3-word combinations listed in one place. You are now officially ready for Jeopardy!
+ Our Denis is playing for quite some time now with Quarkus. Not only is he playing with it but is also running it in the production! We asked Denis to explain what Quarkus is and why is he so in love with it.
Read with us
The Unicorn Project
If you’ve enjoyed The Phoenix Project, this message is probably not for you – we bet you’re already somewhere in the middle of The Unicorn Project and cheering for Maxine!
If for some reason you’ve missed that this long-awaited sequel has finally been published, we strongly encourage you to read it. The resemblance to real life is again striking. Just be careful, once you start, it’s difficult to stop until the end. We testify!
Quote of the Day
-What’s the plural of “developer”?
-A “merge conflict”
— Maxine Chambers in The Unicorn Project
If you’re interested in receiving interviews with thought leaders and a digest of exciting ideas from the world of DevOps straight to your inbox, subscribe to our 0800-DEVOPS newsletter!
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