Value Streams Inventory and Attributes

Processes operationalize value streams. Where a value stream describes what value is delivered and in what ordered sequence of stages, a process describes how the work of a stage is actually carried out — the detailed, sequenced activities, the rules, and the steps. A value stream is realized through processes, but the two are distinct: the value stream is stable and stakeholder-anchored, while the processes beneath it are volatile and method-anchored, changing as the enterprise re-engineers how work is done.

The Processes Inventory is not yet published — refer to the IF4IT Enterprise Inventory Management Best Practices document for its current definition in the Noun Type taxonomy. When it is published, the Realizing Processes relationship attribute in this inventory will connect each value stream to the processes that carry out the work of its stages, enabling analysis of how a process change affects the value stream it serves.