Defining Value Stream Boundaries
Defining value stream boundaries involves delineating the scope and limits of each value stream within a product, based on an understanding of business processes and domain events identified during event storming sessions.
Purpose
The purpose of defining value stream boundaries is to create independent areas of responsibility within a product which enables autonomy and focus for Stream Teams. By clearly defining the scope of each value stream, teams can work efficiently and effectively within their area of expertise, without unnecessary overlap or dependencies on other teams.
- Improved Focus: Enables teams to concentrate on specific business areas, enhancing expertise and efficiency.
- Enhanced Autonomy: Allows teams to make decisions and progress within their domain without unnecessary cross-domain dependencies.
- Better Scalability: Facilitates scaling the organisation by clearly defining areas of responsibility, preventing overlap and confusion.
- Increased Agility: Supports agile development by allowing teams to iterate rapidly within their domain without being hindered by external dependencies.
Context
Products are complex and become increasingly more complex as they grow. This complexity causes changes to become slower and increases the number of unintended consequences because it is harder for people to understand the full product and implications of the changes that they make. Another side effect of this complexity is that teams often overlap when implementing features leading to merge conflicts and duplicated work. The net effect is that development slows down and the quality of the product decreases.
Inputs
| Artifact | Description |
|---|---|
| Event Model | A visual map of domain events, commands, policies, and the relationships between them, created during the event storming workshop. |
Outputs
| Artifact | Description | Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Bounded Value Streams | Visual representation of the separate value streams, highlighting the processes, boundaries, and key entities. | Identifies independent areas of responsibility, enabling focused work and autonomy. |
Anti-patterns
- Overlapping Responsibilities: Failing to clearly define or allowing overlap between value streams, leading to confusion and inefficiencies.
- Ignoring Business Evolution: Failing to update domain boundaries in response to changes in the business model or market.
- Lack of Stakeholder Involvement: Defining domains without adequate input from key stakeholders, leading to misalignment with business needs.