The Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) offers a clear-eyed view into their journey with Value Stream Management — one that resonates with many enterprises struggling to connect business intent with delivery reality.
The Problem: Fragmented Work, Unclear Value
BNZ’s challenge wasn’t a lack of effort. Teams were busy. Projects were moving. But outcomes often didn’t match expectations. Work was fragmented across silos, dependencies were poorly managed, and customer value was getting lost in the noise. Like many legacy organizations, they were executing on tasks — but struggling to tie those tasks back to strategic goals or customer outcomes.
The Shift: Mapping Value Streams to Create Focus
The team began by mapping their value streams to visualize how work actually flowed — or didn’t — through the organization. This exercise exposed painful truths: handoffs were messy, ownership was diffused, and too much time was spent on work that didn’t move the needle.
With value stream maps in place, BNZ was able to:
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Identify flow inefficiencies and reduce wait times
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Clarify roles and ownership across business and tech
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Prioritize work based on outcomes, not just outputs
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Spark better conversations between leadership and teams
The change didn’t come from installing a new tool — it came from changing the lens through which they viewed delivery. Once teams could see the full picture, they naturally began to self-correct, collaborate, and focus on what mattered.
The Takeaway: VSM Is a Leadership Enabler
One of the strongest messages from the session was that VSM enabled leaders to step away from micromanagement and toward system thinking. By providing transparency into the flow of value, leaders could now empower teams without losing control. Metrics shifted from activity-based to value-based, allowing for real improvement in both speed and quality.
In a world where Agile transformations often stall at the team level, BNZ’s story shows how VSM can be the missing piece that connects teams to strategy — and strategy to customer value.
🎥 Watch the full session from Flowtopia 2023
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Dionysis Svoronos
Denys is a value stream coach and transformation leader with over a decade of experience in agile delivery and strategic execution. He’s a top writer in leadership on Medium, a public speaker at events like Flowtopia, and a board member at the Value Stream Management Consortium. Denys helps organizations align strategy to execution, improve flow, and lead change with clarity.
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