Lifecycle and Status Attributes for the Value Streams Inventory - Value Streams Inventory and Attributes

Lifecycle and Status Attributes for the Value Streams Inventory

(Chapter 11 of Value Streams Inventory and Attributes)

Executive Summary: Chapter Overview

IF4IT

The Bottom Line

Lifecycle and Status attributes keep the value stream portfolio current by showing whether each value stream is proposed, active, under review, deprecated, or retired. They also capture effective and planned retirement dates so portfolio governance can manage transitions without deleting historical evidence.

Core Concepts

Concept	Definition & Strategic Role
Lifecycle Status	The governed state of the value stream in the enterprise portfolio, used to distinguish active flows from proposed, reviewed, deprecated, or retired flows.
Effective Date	The date from which the value stream became recognized as part of the governed enterprise portfolio.
Retirement Planning	Planned Retirement Date supports orderly transition, archival, and historical traceability for value streams leaving active governance.

Quick Q&A

Question: How do lifecycle attributes protect the integrity of the Value Streams Inventory?

Answer: They prevent active, proposed, deprecated, and retired value streams from being confused. Lifecycle attributes also preserve historical context, allowing the enterprise to retire a flow from active governance without deleting the record or losing the audit trail of value stream decisions.

Lifecycle and Status attributes track the current state of each Value Stream and the key dates associated with lifecycle transitions.

Attribute Name	Maturity	Description and Notes
Lifecycle Status	Crawl	Description — The current state of the Value Stream in its governed lifecycle. Benefit(s) — Enables the value stream portfolio to distinguish actively governed value streams from those in transition or exited. Source — Manual Examples — Proposed, Active, Under Review, Deprecated, Retired Notes — Valid values: Proposed, Active, Under Review, Deprecated, Retired. Status changes require inventory owner approval.
Effective Date	Walk	Description — The date on which this Value Stream became Active. Benefit(s) — Enables longitudinal analysis of how the enterprise value stream portfolio has evolved. Source — Manual Examples — 2024-01-01, 2023-06-15
Planned Retirement Date	Walk	Description — The date on which this Value Stream is planned to reach Retired status. Populated only for Value Streams in Deprecated status. Benefit(s) — Enables transition planning for value streams scheduled for retirement or replacement. Source — Manual Examples — 2026-12-31, 2025-09-30 Notes — Use Not Applicable for Active and Proposed Value Streams.

How to cite this page

When referencing this page in academic work, internal standards, or external publications, include the page title, IF4IT as author and publisher (The International Foundation for Information Technology (IF4IT), LLC), the URL, and your access date.

Example (informal web citation):

The International Foundation for Information Technology (IF4IT), LLC. Lifecycle and Status Attributes for the Value Streams Inventory | Value Streams Inventory and Attributes. https://if4it.org/best-practices/value-streams-inventory-and-attributes/lifecycle-and-status-attributes-for-the-value-streams-inventory/ (accessed 2026-09-11).

See About Us for content governance and site-wide citation guidance.

Legal Disclaimers