Interesting, I have been thinking of the very same question. In my opinion, Value Stream Management (VSM) or Value Stream Engineering (VSE) is focusing on the most efficient way to deliver value to the customer. It has industrial grounds within Supply Chain Management (SCM). Actually, in LCA, we try to do exactly the same under one condition: the Functional Unit (FU) should exactly refer to the value that customers extract out of your product/service (often the value of a product becomes a service, e.g. the value of an internet modem is the ability to connect to the internet, which is a service). In many cases, we are not there yet. E.g. the functional unit of many LCAs on chemicals or pharmaceuticals is commonly represented as ‘per kg’, ‘per mole’, ‘per tablet’, etc. This is however not reflecting the value of the customer (patient). The patient’s value is the therapeutic treatment effect and – hopefully – healing.

And this is just one example of how we need to expand our view on functionality and prolong cause-effect chains within LCA to make results more relevant from an industry perspective within VSE or SCM.

I hope you find the literature you need, but I don’t think much has been written on linking VSE and VSM to LCA.

Please contact me if you want to discuss.

Best regards,

Wouter

Dear Mr. Wouter De Soete, 

Noted with profound appreciation.  

I will certainly touch base. 

Stay Blessed 

You may find the following publication interesting. 

It discusses few novel approaches to Value Stream Mapping (VSM). I have few key publications that discusses how to manage life cycle engineering (LCE) for product development. Take a look. Let me know your perspectives.

Thanks Brian

Conference Paper A Visual-based Methodology for Capturing Technical Memory in...

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319187357_Application_of_Value_Engineering_approach_for_Improving_the_Quality_and_Productivity_of_Ready-Mixed_Concrete_Used_in_Construction_and_Hydraulic_Projects

Thesis Application of Value Engineering approach for evaluating the...

Have a look at The Cambridge Value Mapping Tool.

https://www.ifm.eng.cam.ac.uk/news/the-cambridge-value-mapping-tool/

Also, there are few other publications on the same topic, here is the link:

Article Sustainable Value Stream Mapping (Sus-VSM): Methodology to v...