Thoughts on value stream mapping in IT / software development

What is now commonly known as value stream mapping was originally called Material and Information Flow Analysis, that is, the idea was to understand how material moved through the system, what information was provided to support that movement, and how that information was provided.  The act of creating this map, which requires observation and investigation, would expose opportunities for improvement.

Is value stream mapping a useful tool for the IT / software development world?

How might we answer that question?

Let's start by clarifying the question.

Is it useful to understand and vlsualise, through observation and investigation, how IT / software development work (i.e., change requests, product features, etc.) flows as well as how and what information is provided to support and manage that work? Would it expose opportunities for improvement that would not otherwise be easily seen?

But isn't software development more like a network than a stream?

One advantage of the original phrase, Material and Information Flow Analysis, is that there is no implication of a single linear stream of activity.  Using the phrase "value stream" or "value chain" does create this implication which is why the concept of "value network" comes up.

In object-oriented (OO) software development, many novices believe that object models are about modeling the world exactly. Experienced OO designers though, understand that what we are actually trying to do is represent the world in such a way that allows us to deal with our systems effectively.

So, if we want to judge a mapping approach, instead of asking:

"Is this a more precise map of what's happening?"

we might ask questions like:

"Does this highlight X type of problem more clearly than if we map this differently?"

"Does this map (with its realistic complexity) highlight problems better than a simpler map or even no map at all?"

There is more to see than just work and information flow

Understanding and visualising work and information flow is quite effective in highlighting problems with unnecessary delays and some forms of quality problems.

But there are more potential problems than that...

Do we have problems with skills and/or skills development

What is the experience of all the stakeholders?