EventStorming and Value Stream Mapping

[Alberto Brandolini]

Hi everyone, 

one of the frequent comments when describing Big Picture EventStorming, especially when describing the "Playing with Value" step is that "This is really similar to Value Stream Mapping.

And ...of course it is! Because I use EventStorming also to take a look at the places where value is created and dissipated through the whole business flow. But I also know that it's not exactly like value stream mapping.

Some of my takes are:

• Event Storming is way more information-dense: the number of steps allows for some fine-grained inspections of the tricky areas. In my opinion, the level of granularity should be pretty much the same in VSM, but turns out it's not always the case in practice.
• We can quickly derive a VSM exploration from BPES, among the many other outcomes, but the opposite is not true. Big Picture ES is a general-purpose tool that can have VSM-like knowledge as one of the possible outcomes.
• EventStorming forces the model to be built from the ground up, while my perception (possibly biased) is that VSM can be a little top-down or the result of a consultant investigation to collect the data.
• I haven't found the same obsession with using a language that could be grasped by everyone in the audience.

However, I have to admit that a lot of this perception is biased, and also based on second-hand feedback. I also know that the quality and style of the facilitator can affect the outcome more than the tool itself.

So, I'll be happy to hear your thoughts on this one. Especially if you had a chance to try both or to contaminate.

Cheers

Alberto

[Yves Lorphelin]

Not versed enough in value stream mapping to have an informed opinion.

Nevertheless , 

what I noticed in Big Picture is that the meaning of "value" or the chosen values to express on the wall  is highly depended 
on the session and the perception of the facilitator (dare I say where the facilitator sometimes nudges the group ) 
I've had session where we were talking about $$$ other where value was the perceived architectural structure of the existing solution
(easy to change, difficult to change, ..) 

Yves

[Alberto Brandolini]

This is where the 'value stickies' can serve a great deal. 

I do agree that the facilitator has great power - great responsibilities. I use the value stickies without being attached to one specific value currency.

Obvious ones are Money (revenues and losses) and Time, but the discussion becomes more interesting when exploring different currencies.

Everybody assumes we should optimize for revenues or speed, but that's not necessarily the case. In a few occasions, I enjoyed the consequences of that fuzziness, and it opened a very interesting and deep discussion.

Alberto