Flow Engineering: From Value Stream Mapping to Effective Action - Steve Pereira & Andrew Davis
CoLab Book Club - February 2025
#CoLabBookClub kicked off 2025 discussing “Flow Engineering: Form Value Stream Mapping to Effective Action” by Steve Pereira and Andrew Davis. And what a start to the year - the book received a unanimous “Must Read” star rating!
Overview
This book is an easy-to-read, practical guide to understanding and improving how work flows through an organisation. It uses plain language and provides a structured yet adaptable approach to identifying constraints, aligning teams and driving continuous improvement.
At the core of Flow Engineering are five mapping techniques that help teams see where work gets stuck and what to do about it:
🔹 Outcome Mapping - clarifies what success looks like.
🔹 Value Stream Mapping - understands how work moves from idea to delivery.
🔹 Dependency Mapping - identifies where teams rely on each other.
🔹 Capability Mapping - assesses strengths and gaps in skills, tools and processes.
Each technique is broken down into clear steps, showing how to use them individually or together. The book also provides case studies and real-world examples, making it easy to apply the ideas to our own work.
Our Key Takeaways
✔️ Mapping is a conversation, not just a diagram - the real value comes from the discussions people have while mapping their work.
✔️ Constraints are opportunities - bottlenecks aren’t just problems, they’re signals pointing to where the biggest improvements can happen.
✔️ Small, practical changes drive momentum - big transformations can start with small, focused adjustments that create immediate impact.
✔️ Cross-team collaboration is key - Flow Engineering isn’t just for IT or delivery teams. It’s about aligning the whole organisation around shared goals.
Who is it For?
If you’re involved in improving how work flows, whether as a team leader, product manager, agile coach or leader, then this book offers a structured but flexible approach to driving meaningful change. It’s especially valuable for those new to mapping.
Thank you!
A huge thank you to Steve Pereira and Andrew Davis for this actionable and insightful guide. Flow Engineering is a book we’ll be coming back to for multiple reads as we continue to refine how we work.
Many thanks to our February book clubbers Allan Atkinson, Elisabeth Stiller, Pete Tansey (host), Peter Bink and Toni Wilson. It was great to hear everyone’s perspectives, insights and ideas for application. What a great start to our reading for 2025!
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