Value Networks

 and the true nature of collaboration

   

Chapter 2: Mapping the Value Network

Sequencing

 

 

Sequencing

Sequencing involves looking at the value network map and identifying 

the order in which the transactions take place.

Because value network mapping focuses on a specific activity it should be possible to trace a pathway or basic flow through the network.


The purpose of Sequencing is not to reduce the network to a linear mechanistic process. Rather it is to identify and optimize the multiple interdependent value flows that operate within the network. In process engineering the goal is to identify one "best" process and drive out variation in order to achieve consistent outcomes. In Value Network Analysis (VNA) the goal is optimize multiple pathways and achieve consistent outcomes while still allowing for variation that is needed for innovation, resilience, and agility in the network.
Sequencing the transactions serves two important purposes.
First, it is used to validate the completeness of the value network map. It provides a way to review the map without repeating the mapping process itself. It helps assure that all roles, transactions, and deliverables have been identified. 

In the sequencing activity people will always see critical transactions that have been overlooked, and sometimes even realize they have left out a key role. Sequencing often helps people identify "missing links" in flows and relationships.

Second, it is used to surface the key processes or flows through the network. If all the transactions have been identified then sequencing allows you to pull out different processes operating within the network. Imagine the network diagram as a tangle of yarn. If you pick up the end of the yarn - that is the first activity in a typical network scenario - and pull it out, then sequencing lets you "unravel" the entire network as a timeline of activities. 

This provides both a network narrative and a process view into the network. However, it is a process view that has all the mission-critical intangible activities embedded into the process and also shows critical interdependencies between different processes or flows. See Optimizing Value Flows in the Analysis chapter for how you can map several interdependent activities in the same value network. Of course, once you have identified the key pathways or processes then the traditional process analysis tools can be brought into play if you desire. See Process, Workflow, and VNA in the Advanced Analysis chapter.
Case Study: Procedure Scheduling in Healthcare project:
Sequencing deliverables
Note: The context for this case was shown on Value Network Mapping Basics.

Sequencing was done after the roles were identified, Roles and Participants, and the Transactions and Deliverables were mapped.

Sequencing deliverables

 

The map below shows the intangible deliverables sequenced right along with the tangible deliverables. Generally the intangible is sequenced at the first instance it would happen in a typical situation.

 

It is usually best to not duplicate numbering. However, in this example there are duplicates in deliverables "1 Referral" and "2 Referral." This was because any of the "1 Referral" activities could trigger the procedure scheduling activity. The initial referral needed to end up with the role of Department Administrator, who would then set the rest of the sequence in motion with "3 Records Request."
value network map showing sequencing of transactions in scheduling in healthcare
Figure 7 - Scheduling: Value network showing transactions in sequence.
Ctrl+scroll to see larger.
The sequencing gave the work team the basic flow to build the web-based scheduling process.

  

The complete case study, Procedure Scheduling in Healthcare, is in the Case Studies chapter.

Facilitating sequencing

Lead off with the question, "Out of all this activity, what is the first thing that happens in a typical scenario? What kicks it off?"

That will be number 1.

Always read off the transaction in full. "So the Procedure RN sends Patient Records (transaction #12) to the Group Physicians."
If you are manually facilitating the mapping with a group there are alternative ways to show sequence numbers. You can use a number on the label, or a small number near the arrowhead. Another possibility is shown in the simple sequence example at the right.
   

FAQs for sequencing

Why is sequencing done after the map is complete and not during the mapping?


Sequencing puts people into a linear mode of cognitive processing - what some people think of as "left brain" thinking. Trying to sequence during the mapping means that people get "stuck" or locked into thinking in a linear mechanistic way. That defeats the purpose of the network perspective. 


Value network mapping uses the more holistic cognitive talents of the brain, called by some "right brain" thinking. VNA draws on our underused and under-appreciated cognitive capability to see patterns in business relationships. It is much harder to move to holistic thinking from a linear mode than the other way around. You want to engage the right brain pattern seeker before narrowing focus into the linear work of sequencing.


Sometimes the transactions with intangible deliverables don't seem to have a sequence because they happen all the time. For example, two groups share some kind of knowledge, and because they are partners, they need to share all the time. How should this problem be handled?


Yes, such transactions do tend to repeat and continue over time. For purposes of sequencing you would consider a typical scenario as if you were telling a story. In that story, identify when the very first instance of that intangible deliverable occurs.


Another way to work with this is to "unpack" big terms such as "strategic knowledge" into more specific deliverables such as "yearly revenue projections," or "monthly sales forecast," or "proposal review."

 

 

  

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