GigaOm Radar for Value Stream Management (VSM)v4.0

1. Executive Summary

Value stream management (VSM) is the go-to method for software development process improvement, which is a requirement for organizations looking to deliver on their digital transformation goals. VSM ensures the value of technology delivery as defined by benefits minus costs. VSM tools and practices remove bottlenecks in the pipeline, improve efficiency, and enable organizations to better understand and manage costs. However, delivering software faster and cheaper means nothing if the resulting outputs are not of value to the business.

We recognize that the latter—business value—needs to be predicated on the former—process efficiency. Engineering management has a clear and present concern with staying abreast of what development teams are working on. At the same time, business leaders are looking to address what they see as the black box of technology delivery and seeking to measure and monitor the bang they are getting for their buck.

At their core, VSM tools combine data integration and dashboards, pull together information from continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) and other development tooling, and enable users to see what is going on. Building on this foundation, vendors offer capabilities to better visualize and interpret the data, provide best practice insights and guidance, enable automation, and so on. For organizations looking to build a coherent picture of their software development pipeline and move away from unwieldy spreadsheets and customized business intelligence (BI) tools, there’s a lot to like about VSM.

The right VSM tooling will depend on an organization’s IT maturity, size of its business, and strategic direction. Some companies may be looking to improve visibility to help managers make better decisions, while others may want to consolidate practices and standards across lines of business. Some organizations may be better suited to a general purpose tool, while others may need one designed for their specific vertical or use case.

This is our fourth year evaluating the VSM solution space in the context of our Key Criteria and Radar reports. This report builds on our previous analysis and considers how the market has evolved over the last year.

This GigaOm Radar report examines 14 of the top VSM solutions and compares offerings against the capabilities (table stakes, key features, and emerging features) and nonfunctional requirements (business criteria) outlined in the companion Key Criteria report. Together, these reports provide an overview of the market, identify leading VSM offerings, and help decision-makers evaluate these solutions so they can make a more informed investment decision.