Determining what value streams or value stream components should be addressed in a DevOps initiative will vary from one organization to another.

The priority value streams can be determined by considering areas of technical debt and possible performance gaps that exist within the technology areas and practices. These processes and practices typically span multiple functions, organizations and geographies.

Technical debt is a concept in software development that reflects the extra work effort that arises when uncoordinated decisions and short-run priorities are used instead of choosing best practices for developing solutions.

Targeting technical debt can go a long way toward achieving the goals of any DevOps initiative.

When an organization faces technical debt that undermines its transition to a fully functioning DevOps organization, the consequences of not addressing the root causes can be harmful.

Therefore it is reasonable for any technology organization to fully assess its environment to identify the areas of the operation that are detracting from its ability to reduce costs and increase responsiveness to business users. A careful audit of the technology in use and the applications supported will provide the necessary information for management to priorities work, shape new development, and future change requests by the user community.