Value Stream Management (VSM) to Refocus on What Matters Most
Crises are opportunities to reflect and consider new paths. Whether in our personal or professional lives, crises make us question the meaning of our actions. The current crises are no different for software, and have confirmed the need to refocus on what really matters: customer experience (CX), employee experience (EX), and business outcomes.
Improving customer satisfaction by delivering the expected value maximizes the company's chances of achieving its objectives, and relies primarily on the commitment and skills of its teams.
Customers and people first... Nothing new, but it seems time to apply these principles more systematically.
Although they bring real benefits, agile, DevOps/DevSecOps, SRE,... initiatives don't always succeed in delivering or demonstrating all the expected business value.
Members of the software value stream can apply Lean principles to refocus on what really matters in their specific situation.
By pragmatically adapting lean principles and value stream management practices to software delivery, organizations are better able to... :
- Deliver reliable and secure software quickly,
- Demonstrate value to customers, business sponsors, and end users,
- Measure and recognize progress,
- Support a culture of experimentation and adaptation to new situations.
Please consult our Whitepaper Value Stream Mapping for Software Delivery (EN) (sdrefocus.com)
Contributing to Shape the Future of VSM
Members of the Value Stream Management Consortium are enterprises, end-users, vendors, and consultants who recognize that VSM is the way to supercharge organizational performance and elevate the role of technologists, optimizing software delivery.
With the Value Stream Management Consortium, I am committed to collaborating in order to advance the future of VSM and our software delivery industry.
As an Influencer Member of the consortium, I first had the opportunity to collaborate through the production of collective articles in the series of blog posts "Is this a value stream?":
- Is incident Management a Value Stream?
- Is Release Management a Value Stream?
- Is Platform Engineering a Value Stream?
- Is Onboarding a Value Stream?
Since March, I've been able to join this fantastic delivery team as "Head of Content Value Stream", taking charge of the consortium's blog activities and writing new articles:
A Holistic Approach to DevOps or DevSecOps Initiatives
Our approach aims to cover the different dimensions of a DevOps transformation and focus on those that address each particular situation.
Too many DevOps or DevSecOps initiatives are still carried out under the almost exclusive prism of automation. Implementing tools to automate processes is essential but insufficient to achieve the desired benefits.
Whether you're just getting started with your DevOps initiative or looking to take it to the next level, be sure to check out our article on using this model to support a continuous improvement dynamic:
Testimonials
“I really appreciated the way he guided me through a complicated DevOps transformation plan.
He was able to bring a vision that fit the scale of our department. I recommend his approach and his expertise in this field.”
Olivier, National DevOps Project Leader
"I had the pleasure to work with Patrice who helped our agile and DevOps transformation.
Very attentive to the client's needs, he is aware of the context and constraints in which his mission must take place."
Florent, Head of IT department
"Operational experience in development coupled with DevSecOps methodological hindsight is Patrice's niche.
We co-published IBM's 2019 white paper "DevOps, Et si c'était vrai ?". Value stream mapping, DevOps culture and its implementation have no more secrets for him!"
Justin, Digital Officer
“Patrice is a DevOps/ALM expert and his expertise is essential to gain the trust of customers.
In addition, Patrice has very good listening and communication skills, which are essential to fully understand the customer's needs.
Finally, Patrice is easy to work with and has a strong team spirit, so that the work is done in an efficient and professional way.”
Bertrand, Software Sales Representative
IT Consulting Services
Our mission is to help individuals, teams, and organizations (re)focus their software delivery strategies and capabilities on what really matters. The aim is to identify and adopt the most appropriate approaches in each context, using proven techniques and adapting them together to the situation.
Our areas of expertise cover the various aspects of software delivery, from strategy development, value stream definition, team organization, continuous improvement of ways of working, and outcomes measurement.
In a mindset of listening and mutual learning, we can alternatively play the role of consultant, coach, or facilitator, depending on your expectations and needs.
Being an independent consultant doesn't mean working alone. We also work in partnership with Ahead Technology to contribute to the evolution of skills as an accredited instructor delivering DevOps Institute and scrum.org's certified courses.
"Patrice knows his subject. I find that the exercise is not simple and that for this kind of training, you need to have transversal knowledge on many aspects (Lean, ITSM/ITIL, the agile manifesto and its scaling... in addition to the DEVOPS aspect).... Well done."
Stéphane, Product owner, a trainee of the "DevOps Foundation" course (DevOps Institute) in march 2022
The Climate Emergency Requires us to Work Differently
The latest IPCC report is clear on the extent and origin of climate change. The alert level is at its highest and is already being felt in our daily lives.
Since its creation, SD ReFocus has understood this alert and our duty to act and transform the way we operate.
Our first founding decision is to deliver our services 100% remotely, in order to save on transportation, which represents about 1/3 of greenhouse gas emissions.
Despite a few drawbacks to take into account, the lock-in periods have demonstrated the effectiveness of working remotely for advisory and training services.
Moreover, this choice has the merit of being perfectly consistent with a lean vision of our services by eliminating one of the eight types of waste: unnecessary transport or travel.
News
April 2023: About 200 people trained, more than 95% satisfied or very satisfied, in 100% remote sessions
March 2023: Joined the VSMC's Delivery Team as Head of Content Value Stream
February 2023: Contribution to the VSMC Blog "Is Platform Engineering a Value Stream"
September 2022 : Contribution to the second edition of the VSMC "Value Stream Management Report"
March 2022: Article "The 7 dimensions of a DevOps initiative"
February 2022: Contribution to the VSMC Blog "Is incident Management a Value Stream?"
November 2021: Whitepaper "Value Stream Mapping for Software Delivery" (EN)