PMI-ACP Lesson 11 Agile Value Stream Analysis

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Agile Value Stream Analysis
PMI®—Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)®

● Explain Agile value stream mapping
● Describe and use the various Agile flowchart symbols
● List the steps in creating Agile spaghetti diagrams
After completing
this lesson, you will
be able to:
Objectives

Value stream mapping is a technique used to analyze the flow of information, people, and material
required to bring a product or service to a consumer.
● It is based on the concept of Lean manufacturing.
● It consists of a series of steps and activities classified as ‘value adding’ and ‘non-value adding’.
● It is a key tool to identify and eliminate process waste and improve throughput.
Value Stream Mapping

Value stream mapping usually involves creating visual maps of the process (value stream maps) and
progresses through the following stages:
Value Stream Mapping (contd.)
Identify the product or
service to be analyzed.
Create a value stream map
of the current process by
identifying the steps,
queues, delays, and
information flows.
Review the map to find
delays, waste, and
constraints.
Create a new value stream
map of the future
optimized state to remove
or reduce delays, waste,
and constraints.
Develop a roadmap to
achieve the future state
Plan to revisit the process
in the future to continually
calibrate and optimize.

Value stream mapping entails several steps.
The first step is to identify the starting point of the process (who initiates it) and the end point (who
gets the result) of the process.
Value Stream Mapping—Process
You
You and the
customer agree
on story

The second step in value stream mapping is to identify the high level steps, inventories, and queues
through the process focusing on the primary flow.
Value Stream Mapping—Process (contd.)
You
Select the story
from backlog
Meet the
customer
Determine
Acceptance Tests
You and the
customer agree
on story

The third step in value stream mapping is to identify any supporting groups and alternative flows,
such as selecting another story if the customer representative is not available.
You
Select the story
from backlog
Meet the
customer
Determine
Acceptance Tests
You and the
customer agree
on story
Story cards Customer reps

The next step in the value stream mapping is to classify activities as value adding and non-value
adding.
Total Cycle time = Value Added + Non-value added time Total Cycle Time = 230 mins
Process Cycle Efficiency = Total Value Add Time Total Process Efficiency = 140 = 61%
Total Cycle Time 230
You
Select the story
from backlog
Meet the
customer
Determine
Acceptance Tests
You and the
customer agree
on story
Story cards Customer reps
Value add
10 mins 60 mins 60 mins 10 mins
15 mins30 mins45 minsNon - value add

The Lean methodologies provide guidance on identifying waste in the manufacturing world. Mary
Poppendieck has translated these for the software development activities.
Mapping Seven Wastes of Lean Manufacturing to Software
Type of Waste Description Example
Partially done
work
Work started, but not complete. Partially done work will lose
its value over time
Code waiting for QA; Specs waiting for
development
Extra processes Extra work that does not add value Unused documentation; Unnecessary approvals
Extra features Features that are not required, or thought of as nice to have Gold plating; Technology features
Task switching
Multitasking between multiple projects that has context
switching penalties
People on multiple projects
Waiting Delays waiting for reviews and approvals Waiting for prototype reviews; Waiting for
document approvals
Motion
The effort required to communicate or move information or
deliverables from one group to another. If teams are not co-
located, this can be higher
Distributed teams; Handoffs
Defects Defective documents or software that needs correction Requirements defects; Software bugs

Agile Flowcharts
An Agile flowchart is a useful tool for illustrating the process flow. A process is a set of activities with a
defined ‘trigger’ or starting event that produces a specific output of value to a customer.
● Flowcharts are used for analyzing, designing, documenting, and managing a process or program in
various fields.
● Flowcharts help uncover process gaps which contribute to waste, delays, and bottlenecks.
Agile flowcharts are also known as process flow chart, functional flow chart, process map, process chart,
functional process chart, business process model, process model, process flow diagram, work flow diagram,
and business flow diagram.
!

Various flow chart symbols and their uses are given below:
Flowchart Symbols
Name Symbol Use in flowchart
Oval Denotes the beginning or end of a program.
Flow line Denotes the direction of logic flow in a program.
Parallelogram Denotes either an input or an output operation (e.g., Print).
Rectangle Denotes a process to be carried out (e.g., Addition).
Diamond
Denotes a decision (or branch) to be made. The program should
continue along one of the two routes (If/then/else).

Spaghetti diagram is a graphical tool that uses a continuous flow line, tracing the path of an item, or
activity through a process.
● The continuous flow line enables process teams to identify redundancies in the work flow and
opportunities to expedite process flow.
● Spaghetti diagram is also known as physical process flow, point-to-point flowchart, or workflow
diagram.
Agile Spaghetti Diagrams

Spaghetti Diagrams—Steps
The steps involved in creating a spaghetti diagram are as follows:
Sketch the current
work area
arrangement in
detail.
Draw a line to mark
every trip each
person or unit makes
from one point to
another.
Add more lines as
more trips are made.
Identify the wasteful
and redundant trips.
As more wasteful or redundant trips are made, the chart gets thicker with more lines.!

The benefits of using spaghetti diagram are as follows:
● It identifies inefficiencies in area or plant layout.
● It identifies opportunities to reduce handling.
● It identifies opportunities for better workforce communication.
● It identifies resource allocation opportunities.
● It identifies opportunities for improvement of workplace safety.
Benefits of Spaghetti Diagram

Harris Products Group, a subsidiary of publicly traded Lincoln Electric Co., produces a variety of
products used in the metal brazing, cutting, and welding industries, and an array of gas-control
equipment used in industrial, medical, and laboratory applications.
As a part of its continuous drive for improvement, Harris Products Group wanted to improve the
preparation of chrome-plated components for assembly into its gas-pressure regulators.
Process Improvement—Real Life Example

Bill Nusbaum, the Northeast Region Manager, and Tara Barrett, a Lean Services Product Manager for
GaMEP, performed a value stream mapping analysis.
Process Improvement Example—Solution
The value stream mapping tool provides detailed
information of the flow of materials through a production
process. It helps to identify areas for improvement.
Production area A, B, C,
and D
Current state value
stream map
Value stream
mapping
A B C D
● Supermarkets (locations in which a standard amount of
inventory is stored) were established at various points
along the production chain to ensure a steady flow of
components through the production process.
● Supermarkets were restocked whenever they were
running low on inventory.
Analysis Implementation
A B C D
Supermarket
A, B, C, and D

After reorganizing the production process, Harris Products Group witnessed following improvements:
● For the past 18 months, there have been no instances of outages of components.
● There was a 75% reduction in WIP related to the components.
● The cash that was previously used in inventory was saved, leading to significant savings.
Process Improvement Example—Outcome

Quiz

QUIZ
a.
b.
c.
d.
Which of the following diagrams can be used to show the flow of materials through
various areas, departments, or physical spaces?
Spaghetti diagrams
SIPOC diagram
Swimlane diagrams
Flowcharts
1

QUIZ
a.
b.
c.
d.
Which of the following diagrams can be used to show the flow of materials through
various areas, departments, or physical spaces?1
Answer: b.
Explanation: Spaghetti diagrams show the flow of materials through various areas, departments, or
physical spaces. A SIPOC diagram is a high level process map that provides an overview the entire process,
from supplier to customer. Swimlane diagrams are more useful for demonstrating roles and responsibilities.
Spaghetti diagrams
SIPOC diagram
Swimlane diagrams
Flowcharts

QUIZ
a.
b.
c.
d.
Which of the following helps to determine the steps that add value to a process and
the ones that do not?2
Swimlanes
Value stream map
Spaghetti diagrams
Flowchart

QUIZ
a.
b.
c.
d.
Which of the following helps to determine the steps that add value to a process and
the ones that do not?2
Answer: c.
Explanation: Value stream map is a sophisticated flow charting method that uses symbols,
metrics, and arrows to help visualize processes and track performance. This method helps
determine which steps add value and which do not.
Swimlanes
Value stream map
Spaghetti diagrams
Flowchart

QUIZ
a.
b.
c.
d.
Process Cycle Efficiency is determined by _____________.
3
Total Value Added time minus Total Non-Value Added time divided by Total Cycle Time
Total Value Add Time divided by Total Cycle Time
Total Process Time divided by Total Value Added Time
Total Value Added Time divided by Total Non-Value Added Time

QUIZ
a.
b.
c.
d.
Process Cycle Efficiency is determined by _____________.
3
Answer: c.
Explanation: Process Cycle Efficiency = Total Value Add Time/ Total Cycle Time
Total Value Added time minus Total Non-Value Added time divided by Total Cycle Time
Total Value Add Time divided by Total Cycle Time
Total Process Time divided by Total Value Added Time
Total Value Added Time divided by Total Non-Value Added Time

QUIZ
a.
b.
c.
d.
Airline flight routes (maps) can be an example of which of the following diagrams?
4
Map
Topographic sheets
Spaghetti diagram
Flowchart

QUIZ
a.
b.
c.
d.
Airline flight routes (maps) can be an example of which of the following diagrams?
4
Answer: d.
Explanation: Airline flight routes are a common example of Spaghetti diagrams.
Map
Topographic sheets
Spaghetti diagram
Flowchart

QUIZ
a.
b.
c.
d.
What defines a process?
5
A sequence of events that must be followed to achieve a result
A set of activities with a documented set of procedures
A sequence of activities performed in a specific order
A set of activities with a starting event and an output that creates value to a customer

QUIZ
a.
b.
c.
d.
What defines a process?
5
Answer: a.
Explanation: A set of activities with a starting event and an output that creates value to a
customer.
A sequence of events that must be followed to achieve a result
A set of activities with a documented set of procedures
A sequence of activities performed in a specific order
A set of activities with a starting event and an output that creates value to a customer

● Value stream mapping is a technique used to analyze the flow of
information, people, and material required to bring a product or service to a
consumer.
● Value stream mapping is a key tool to identify and eliminate process waste
and improve throughput.
● An Agile flowchart is useful for illustrating the process flow.
● Spaghetti diagram is a graphical tool that uses a continuous flow line,
tracing the path of an item, or activity through a process.
● Spaghetti diagram gets thicker with more lines as more wasteful or
redundant trips are made.
Summary
Here is a quick
recap of what was
covered in this
lesson:

PMI-ACP Lesson 11 Agile Value Stream Analysis

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