Value Stream
Template: Value Stream Map | Tight Five: Principles
Where does value flow — and where does time die?
The Stream
Two value streams run in parallel. Meta sells the dream. Docs build the engineering.
Meta Pipeline
Trigger: idea captured (friction noticed, question emerges)
| Step | Cycle Time | Wait Time | %C&A | Waste |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ICP — who needs this? | 2h | 0 | 60% | Often skipped entirely |
| Capture — raw idea into hopper | 30m | days-weeks | 80% | Ideas wait in hopper indefinitely |
| Transform — four voice drafts | 4h | 1-2 days | 70% | Over-processing — drafts too long |
| Qualify — score, merge, craft | 2h | 0 | 50% | Rubber-stamped under load |
| Question — iterate or release? | 30m | days | 40% | Decision paralysis |
| Ship — publish, distribute | 1h | 0 | 80% | LinkedIn posts not always created |
Total cycle time: ~10h Total lead time: 1-3 weeks Flow efficiency: ~5-10% (typical)
Bottleneck: Wait between Capture and Transform. Ideas sit. The hopper is inventory.
Docs Pipeline
Trigger: gap noticed (missing page, broken link, weak connection)
| Step | Cycle Time | Wait Time | %C&A | Waste |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research — understand the territory | 1-4h | 0 | 70% | Sometimes skipped — writing before understanding |
| Draft — write the page | 1-2h | 0 | 60% | Pages too long, not following flow pattern |
| Link — wire into architecture | 30m | 0 | 50% | Linking as afterthought, not during writing |
| Review — content-flow gates | 30m | 0 | 40% | Gates eyeballed, not mechanically checked |
| Push — CI validates | 5m | 0-1h | 90% | MDX errors caught late |
Total cycle time: 3-8h Total lead time: 3-8h (minimal wait — this is the strength) Flow efficiency: ~80% (good)
Bottleneck: Quality of linking. Pages created but edges not drawn.
Seven Wastes
| Waste | Where It Shows Up | Severity |
|---|---|---|
| Waiting | Ideas in hopper between Capture and Transform | High |
| Overproduction | Four voice drafts when two would suffice | Medium |
| Rework | Pages edited multiple times for flow violations | Medium |
| Motion | Context switching between meta and docs work | Low |
| Inventory | 14 ideas in hopper, 6 shipped | High |
| Over-processing | Preachy editorial that gets cut anyway | Medium |
| Transport | Handoff between skill invocation and manual execution | Low |
Flow Efficiency
| Stream | Cycle Time | Lead Time | Efficiency | Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meta pipeline | 10h | 1-3 weeks | 5-10% | 25%+ |
| Docs pipeline | 3-8h | 3-8h | ~80% | Maintain |
| Cross-linking | 30m/page | varies | Unknown | Measure |
The docs pipeline is efficient. The meta pipeline has a wait-time problem. The fix isn't speed — it's reducing inventory (fewer ideas in hopper, faster to ship).
Gate: Bottlenecks identified. Proceed to Dependencies →