Lesson 1 Create a value stream

Create the tutorial value stream.

Before you begin this lesson, make sure that you complete the steps that are described in Configure the tutorial system.

Note: You can get a head start on the tutorial by using a value stream definition taken from the Create a value stream tutorial. You can use the JSON file that defines the

In this lesson, you create the value stream that you use throughout the tutorial.

The default value stream provides a minimally-configured pipeline and workflow. A value streams are defined in by JSON-type configuration file. We use the JSON file to configure the value stream structure, identify integrations, and define DQL queries that selects the data that appears in the stream. You can integrate external tools into the value stream by defining them in the JSON file, or by configuring integrations on the Integrations page. In this tutorial, we define the Jira integration on the Integrations page and then add a reference to it in the value_stream_name.json file.

To create the tutorial value stream, complete the following steps:

Create a value stream by completing the following steps:
1. On the Home page, click Value Streams.
2. Click Create value stream.
  The Create a Value stream page is displayed.
3. In the Name field, enter Tutorial or a similar name.
4. In the Team list, select the team that you created for the tutorial.
5. Click Create.
On the Value stream tab, click Download sample.
The Tutorial VSM-vsm.json file is downloaded to your computer. The base JSON file provides a generic value stream structure.
Open the file and in your text editor, modify the names of the phases: change Planning to PLAN, Development to DEVELOP, and Deployment to DEPLOY.
In addition to renaming elements, you can add new phases and stages, or delete the default ones. In fact, you can completely customize the value stream to fit your development lifecycle. One thing to keep in mind is that the names you assign tare used in the DQL queries that drive data through the value stream.
Note: If you are using the value stream definition from the Create a value stream tutorial, you can upload that and start using it immediately.
On the Tutorial VSM value stream page, click and select Edit value stream map > Import JSON, and then select the JSON file that you modified.

In this lesson, you created an instance of the default value stream. The highest level of a value stream is a phase. Phases represent important organizational parts of the value stream. Phases contain stages that define process flow within a phase. Stages are containers for dots. Dots represent units of work from Measure or tools integrated into the value stream. In general, processing is done in left-right order.

At this point, the value that you created is just a framework for more important work. In later lessons, you learn how to integrate external tools into the value stream and fashion DQL queries that will populate the stages with meaningful data.

In the next lesson, we modify the default value stream.