How I Discovered Value Stream Mapping
I was a frustrated platform engineer watching my team argue in circles about what to fix. Then I found Value Stream Mapping in The DevOps Handbook — and everything changed.
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Article
What is Value Stream Mapping?
VSM helps teams achieve a specific business outcome by improving work processes. Teams visualize the flow of work, identify inefficiencies, and create a roadmap of measurable improvements.
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Video · 1 min
Value Stream Mapping Workshop Overview
A quick walkthrough of what happens in a Value Stream Mapping workshop and the outcomes teams can expect.
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Talk · 33 min
How to Map the Value Stream to Deliver Software 2x Faster
Erica Engelen and I break down how to map the value stream to deliver software 2x faster while maintaining quality.
Watch → Testimonial from Marco Locatelli, CEO at Naviri
Marco Locatelli shares how Miguel helped identify bottlenecks in feature delivery, streamline development flow, and ship features faster.
Testimonial from Phil Clark, VP Engineering
Phil Clark recommends Miguel Dias for value stream mapping, highlighting his deep knowledge and ability to make mapping sessions productive rather than academic.
My Favourite Quotes from DORA's 2025 State of AI-assisted Software Development
A collection of quotes from DORA's 2025 report that resonated with me, all centered around the role of Value Stream Management as the force multiplier for AI adoption.
My Experience with Cesar Arce's 3-Day Value Stream Management Training at Agilizar
My review of the VSM training program that exceeded my expectations, providing the needed theoretical foundations and practical tools for immediate application in the real-world.
Recording: Intro to Value Stream Mapping workshop Workshop by Miguel and Erica Engelen
Erica Engelen and I break down how to map the value stream to deliver software 2x faster while maintaining quality.
Clarifying the Problems VSM Solves
First day of the 2 week incubation program at CIC Berlin by the Berlin School of Economics and Law: Clarifying the Problems VSM Solves
Joining the Berlin Lean Startup Sprint: Why I'm Starting a Value Stream Mapping Business
I just got accepted into the Berlin Startup Incubator's Lean Startup Sprint! To celebrate, I wanted to share with you my motivation for starting a business focused on Value Stream Mapping for enterprise software teams.
A Year of Value Stream Mapping: Lessons from 5 Workshops
Practical insights and key lessons learned from facilitating five Value Stream Mapping workshops with technology teams. Covers what worked, what didn’t, and actionable advice for teams and leaders aiming to drive real improvement through mapping activities.
Intro to Value Stream Mapping Workshop - Additional Resources
A comprehensive collection of resources for getting started with Value Stream Mapping: foundational overviews, deep dive materials, community resources, and next steps for technology teams looking to improve their delivery processes.
Practicing Value Stream Mapping: A Workshop Exercise
A walkthrough of a hands-on Value Stream Mapping exercise for technology teams: identifying constraints, analyzing cycle times, and discussing improvement opportunities through a practical example of a software delivery lifecycle.
Outcome Mapping: Starting with a Clear Goal
Why starting with a clear goal that serve both the company and customers enables successful improvement initiatives, and the consequences of skipping this step.
Suboptimization: When Local Improvements Harm the Whole System
Exploring how isolated improvements can negatively impact overall system performance, with real-world examples of how value stream mapping helps prevent these pitfalls by providing a holistic view.
What is Value Stream Mapping?
An overview of Value Stream Mapping for technology teams: visualizing work flow across multiple processes to identify waste, delays, and bottlenecks, with the goal of designing more efficient cross-team processes.
Value Stream Mapping Charter
A template for creating a Value Stream Mapping charter: providing an overview and starting point for teams initiating process improvement initiatives with clear goals and stakeholder alignment.
For the past 10 years, kickboxing has been an essential part of my life.
Exploring my decade-long journey with kickboxing in the Netherlands, the immediate feedback loop it provides, and how its principles of continuous improvement parallel my work in DevOps and Value Stream Mapping.
How I used Goldratt's Evaporating Cloud to decide on my Easter flights
A personal conflict about return dates — resolved using Goldratt's Evaporating Cloud technique from Theory of Constraints.
Testimonial from Mark Sadler, Program Director at Relex Solutions
Mark Sadler shares how value stream mapping workshops provided immediate value by revealing bottlenecks and process issues, while helping align the team around customer value as their north star.
Testimonial from Jukka Palosaari, Director of Engineering at Relex Solutions
Jukka Palosaari shares how value stream mapping workshops provided immediate value by revealing bottlenecks and process issues, while helping align the team around customer value as their north star.
Testimonial from Iker Garagarza, Director of Engineering at Relex Solutions
Read what Iker Garagarza, Director of Engineering at Relex Solutions, had to say about working with me on Value Stream Mapping initiatives.
Testimonial from Mika Schafroth, Director of Engineering at Relex Solutions
Mika Schafroth shares how value stream mapping helped improve deployment processes, getting the team on the same page, and empowering them to take control of their ways of working by setting realistic targets.
New York Style Lean Coffee: A Structured Format for Group Discussions
Lean Coffee is a structured, but agenda-less meeting. Participants gather, build an agenda, and begin talking. Conversations are directed and productive because the agenda for the meeting was democratically generated. This is a practical guide to running a New York style Lean Coffee session.
Marcus Aurelius on Focus and Value Stream Mapping
Marcus Aurelius's wisdom on focusing on essentials aligns with Value Stream Mapping's approach on clarity and focus.
Lean Coffee: VSM, Re-orgs and Wardley Mapping
Notes from a Lean Coffee discussion in Berlin about how Value Stream Mapping can help with re-organizations, how it complements Wardley Mapping, and how lean principles can help startups achieve their goals through validated learning and waste reduction.
Improvement Roadmap Session Overview
An overview of the improvement roadmap session of a Value Stream Mapping Workshop: prioritizing actions, building a roadmap, and setting up measures to track progress towards improvement goals.
Future State Mapping Session Overview
An overview of the future state mapping session of a Value Stream Mapping Workshop: identifying waste, designing countermeasures, and building a target workflow to improve value delivery.
Dependency Mapping Session Overview
An overview of the dependency mapping session of a Value Stream Mapping Workshop: identifying root causes, mapping sub-processes, and building alignment on improvement priorities.
Outcome Mapping Case Study
Reflections on facilitating an Outcome Mapping workshop, focusing on key learnings, challenges faced, and strategies for improvement in workshop facilitation and team alignment.
Lean Coffee: VSM at the Leadership Level
Notes from a Lean Coffee discussion about Value Stream Mapping at the leadership level, using the STARS model to structure recommendations, and creating impactful organizational change.
Current State Mapping Session Overview
An overview of the current state mapping session of a Value Stream Mapping Workshop: reviewing goals, mapping processes, analyzing constraints, and achieving cross-team alignment.
Validated Learning in SaaS for Performance & Reliability Gains
Exploring validated learning in SRE: lessons from Lean Startup applied to large scale SaaS.
Improving Engineering Quality: Key Insights from a Recent Workshop
Addressing Gaps in User Behavior Visibility and Realistic Test Setups for a Global Supply Chain Leader.
Start Your DevOps Journey
I was a "DevOps engineer" for years without hearing about The Phoenix Project. It completely changed my career.
Continuous Improvement with Value Stream Mapping
Aligning daily work with customer value and organizational goals.
Key Ingredients for a Blameless Post Mortem
Aligning daily work with customer value and organizational goals.
The importance of Improving Work
“If a developer ever has a choice between working on a feature or developer productivity, they should always chose developer productivity”
Blameless Post-Mortem Meeting Template
A Blameless Post-Mortem Meeting Template to help structure and guide the meeting.
Credential Expiry Chaos: A DevOps Incident Response Journey
Next week on the 12th of June I will speak at a DevOps event in Berlin! The topic is "Incidents and failures happen. Let's discuss them and embrace a blameless culture together."
Deployment Lead Time
What is Deployment Lead Time, why is it important and how to measure it.
Improving Large Scale Software Delivery: results
We reduced the team's Deployment Lead Time by 46%, just 5 weeks into our Value Stream Mapping project
10 types of Waste in Technology Work
When delivering a product or service to the customer, a part of the effort is wasted in inefficiencies, miscommunication, etc. Let's talk about what waste is and what are some common sources of waste.