Go Lean: Value Stream Map your SDLC Right Now

Over the last few years, the IT industry has witnessed an upsurge in the usage of lean principles and organizations that
consider application development and maintenance (ADM) solutions as their core competency have benefited. They have
demonstrated rapid movement of software into production, shown significant improvements in defect identification and
reduced rework and lead time, thereby reducing cost and effort while improving quality. Lean is not only used in improving
the software development life cycle (SDLC) but also in integrating disparate data and systems to function cohesively.

LEAN IT SYSTEMS IN THE MANUFACTURING CONTEXT 

 
Lean principles, in the manufacturing context, revolve around the flow of activities that produce value for a customer, i.e. a
value stream. The essence of the value stream lies in the identification and elimination of all categories of wastes inherent in
the stream. This exercise improves the “value-added” percentage and shortens the lead time to deliver a product or service in
response to customer demands.

In a typical application development environment, frequent changes to application requirements can be very expensive. This
results in wasted time and resources across the development cycle ranging from design specification rework, unstable
specifications, rework due to testing discoveries, data and code defects, etc. The entire process, through which change
requests in the SDLC are handled, could be made more efficient.

Although waste is difficult to visualize in the virtual world of software, most IT professionals would be familiar with the
following:

 Transportation Waste: Data replication to a data warehouse instead of direct access from the system of record creates
waste. To avoid replication, we could use Wikis to edit and review documents and eliminate multiple copies of the
same document over e-mail.

 Inventory Waste: Change request backlog is an inventory of user requests that causes waste every time the list is
reviewed and re-prioritized. Similarly, a code that is in production but not in use, is wasted inventory.

 Motion Waste: Unnecessary meetings or rekeying requirements from one tool (like Excel) into another tool (like
PowerCenter)

 Time Lags: The waiting period for architecture council approvals, production change request approvals, etc.

 Over production: The process of building more functions into a program than what was originally requested, sometimes
also referred to as “gold plating”

 Over processing: Rework due to testing defects or design changes once data quality issues have been detected

 Defects: Defects in requirements, design, coding, etc. that can delay a project by weeks or months are a significant
source of waste

THE APPLICATION OF A VALUE STREAM MAP IN A SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT SCENARIO

 
A value stream map (VSM) is a powerful lean tool that helps eliminate and continually improve processes. It has been
effectively used in manufacturing organizations and finds application in software development.

How do we attach monetary value to the application of VSM in a software development scenario?
 We can better articulate the benefits of VSM by analyzing the as-is state of the SDLC. While it is proven that VSM touches
many aspects of the SDLC, reducing defects (both data and code-related) will help in reducing waste. Achieving an absolute
defect-free environment may not be a possibility; however, defects can be reduced significantly with the use of VSM in the
SDLC.

During a study to demonstrate the above, for the purpose of simplicity, the analysis was restricted to the elimination of waste;
it specifically focused on defect generation.

In a traditional SDLC environment, the percentage of defects generated is high when the application is ready to move into
maintenance phase in production. In a complex ADM environment where multiple technologies, platforms and resources are
involved, defect corrections in the maintenance phase will only lead to further increase in effort and lead time.

How does the scenario change when a VSM tool is used in the SDLC?

To understand this, both small and large software development projects were analyzed. The defect generation pattern at
different points in the SDLC was identified and the output of this exercise was captured and analyzed.

When we apply a VSM tool for a set of software projects of varying complexities, the defect generation contours change
notably. Now, with the application of the VSM tool, majority of the defects are successfully identified in the initial stage viz.
the requirement analysis stage. As a result, the cost per defect correction is dramatically contained.

It has also been found that when applying Lean principles to system and data integration, Lean Integration teams frequently
realize large improvements in labor productivity and significant reduction in lead time through VSM and continuous efforts
to eliminate non-value-added activities.

THE BENEFITS OF A VALUE STREAM MAP IN A SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT SCENARIO 

 
While developing a “to-be state” using VSM, one cannot stop appreciating the benefits it brings into the software
development cycle. A quick glance through an indicative list of recommendations touches upon multiple aspects of SDLC,
including these key elements:

 Goal Setting
 Involvement of tester early on in the SDLC
 Understanding of requirements using standard templates
 Comprehensive test cases
 Traceability
 Technical resource pooling
 Collaboration among departments and with vendors
 Structured Execution Cycle (SIT, UAT and Production)
 Structured analysis and retest
 Frequent cross department review meetings
 Hansei (self introspection and sharing) event after each project: To increase and facilitate knowledge management
within the company
 Revised check list at various stages to reduce wait times and waste

In conclusion, we see that IT organizations that are currently embracing VSM in various application development scenarios
will potentially position the usage of VSM as a strong differentiator in winning large deals in complex ADM environments,
where multiple technologies, platforms and resources are involved.