Facilitator Guide · Step 1 of 5 · Diagnose

Find the Flow Problems Worth Convening For

A Value Stream Conference should not begin with an agenda template. Begin by understanding the coordination system, the outcomes it serves, the shared work it carries, the capacity it can actually use, and the Flow problems that require cross-unit decisions.

Fast path
5 × 5 minutes
Full path
60–90 minutes
Diagnostic stages
Five connected views
Primary output
Prioritized Flow-problem backlog
Next step
Ability to Decide

Understanding the Context

Three scaling logics create one coordination system

Flow problems become easier to diagnose when the group distinguishes direction, end-to-end value creation, and the realignment of development units.

Core idea The Value Stream Conference operates at the intersection of strategic intent, operational value creation, and tactical delivery.

Its job is to expose the system-level decisions needed to keep value moving—not to reproduce every team or train planning conversation.

Three Scaling Logics

Separate the questions before connecting the answers

01 · Strategic Where are we going?

Direction, priorities, framework conditions, investment choices, and governance boundaries.

Typical system: portfolio
02 · Operational How does value move end to end?

Coordination across the complete value stream—from trigger to usable customer or operational value.

Typical system: operational value stream
03 · Tactical Which social unit must realign?

Agile Teams, Solution Areas, ARTs, and Solution Trains each coordinate at a different social scale.

Typical systems: team to Solution Train
Strategic intent Priorities · Investments · Guardrails
Trigger Operational Value Stream Value
Team Solution Area ART Solution Train
Operational scaling is a view of end-to-end value creation—not a fifth tactical level.

The conference connects tactical units as building blocks of the value stream and keeps their work aligned with strategic intent.

Why the Sequence Matters

The problem backlog is the conclusion, not the opening brainstorm

Each stage adds information needed by the next. Skipping directly to complaints makes it difficult to tell which problems constrain value, which are local, and which a conference can actually influence.

  1. 1.1 Stage 1 Value Stream Landscape

    Identify every contributor, constraint, and decision interface in the value stream.

    Open stage →
  2. 1.2 Stage 2 Business Objectives

    Clarify which outcomes create genuine cross-unit coordination demand.

    Open stage →
  3. 1.3 Stage 3 Value Stream Initiatives

    Identify shared standards, capabilities, and changes that cross organizational boundaries.

    Open stage →
  4. 1.4 Stage 4 Value Stream Capacity

    Make capacity trade-offs, constraints, confidence, and flex capacity visible.

    Open stage →
  5. 1.5 Stage 5 Flow Problems

    Build an evidence-ready backlog of the problems the conference can meaningfully address.

    Open stage →
Landscape

defines who and what belongs in scope

Objectives

show where coordination matters

Initiatives

reveal shared work and ownership needs

Capacity

tests whether the demand is credible

Problems

form the conference decision backlog

Five Diagnostic Slides

Move from coordination context to a decision backlog

Use these five slides to introduce the complete Flow Problems sequence before opening any one topic in depth.

  1. 1.1

    Topic 1.1 · Stage 1 of 5

    Value Stream Landscape

    Identify every contributor, constraint, and decision interface in the value stream.

    Guiding question Who and what contributes to end-to-end value creation?
    What this stage adds A working value-stream boundary, contributor network, and visible decision interfaces.
    Open 1.1 Value Stream Landscape
  2. 1.2

    Topic 1.2 · Stage 2 of 5

    Business Objectives

    Clarify which outcomes create genuine cross-unit coordination demand.

    Guiding question Which outcomes create genuine cross-unit coordination demand?
    What this stage adds An objective view that separates shared coordination needs from local priority discussions.
    Open 1.2 Business Objectives
  3. 1.3

    Topic 1.3 · Stage 3 of 5

    Value Stream Initiatives

    Identify shared standards, capabilities, and changes that cross organizational boundaries.

    Guiding question What must the value stream build or evolve together?
    What this stage adds A view of shared work, ownership needs, standards, capabilities, and cross-boundary change.
    Open 1.3 Value Stream Initiatives
  4. 1.4

    Topic 1.4 · Stage 4 of 5

    Value Stream Capacity

    Make capacity trade-offs, constraints, confidence, and flex capacity visible.

    Guiding question Which constraints and trade-offs shape credible choices?
    What this stage adds A decision-grade capacity view with confidence, constraints, and flex made visible.
    Open 1.4 Value Stream Capacity
  5. 1.5

    Topic 1.5 · Stage 5 of 5

    Flow Problems

    Build an evidence-ready backlog of the problems the conference can meaningfully address.

    Guiding question Which evidence-aware Flow problems belong in the conference decision backlog?
    What this stage adds A prioritized Flow-problem backlog with scope, evidence, confidence, and open questions.
    Open 1.5 Flow Problems
Facilitation Modes Use the same logic at two different depths Open optional preparation guidance

The fast path produces a useful first hypothesis. The full path improves evidence quality and prepares the next design step.

Fast path · 25 minutes

One five-minute pass per stage

  • Use rough estimates and visible unknowns
  • Capture only the strongest coordination signals
  • Dot-vote instead of defending precise scores
  • Assign validation owners after the session

Best for: an executive opening, early discovery, or a first conference-design conversation.

Full path · 60–90 minutes

Build a decision-ready diagnostic package

  • Record evidence source and confidence for material claims
  • Separate local issues from cross-unit Flow problems
  • Test capacity and conference leverage explicitly
  • Prepare decision, participant, and artifact implications

Best for: a facilitation team preparing an actual Value Stream Conference.

Stop rule Diagnose first. Do not solve the problem backlog while you are still building it.

Premature countermeasures narrow the search and allow preferred solutions to masquerade as evidence.

Ready to Begin?

Prepare enough context to start—then let the map expose the gaps

Bring into the room

  • A working value-stream boundary or product/service scope
  • People who know portfolio intent, delivery reality, operations, and shared services
  • Existing organization, roadmap, capacity, and Flow data where available
  • A shared digital or physical workspace with one area per diagnostic stage

Allow from the start

  • Real, anonymized, or fictionalized examples
  • Unknowns marked as validation gaps
  • Rough capacity rather than false precision
  • Several competing causal hypotheses

The handoff package

  • Top Flow problems and affected objectives
  • Scope, evidence, confidence, and open questions
  • Cross-unit decisions the conference may need
  • Likely participants and artifacts for Ability to Decide
Start here Build the Value Stream Landscape

Make the contributor network visible before asking it to explain its problems.

Open 1.1 Value Stream Landscape

Source Foundation

Deck-led, strengthened by current Flow guidance

This overview distills slides 1–7 of 2026-07-13_Value_Stream_Conference.pptx; the five detailed stages cover slides 8–21. The additions on evidence, confidence, current-state mapping, and Flow measures are grounded in these public primary sources.

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