A **Value Stream Category** is an entity within the [[Foundation (CSDM domain)|Foundation domain]] of the [[Common Service Data Model|Common Service Data Model]] (CSDM), a reference architecture developed by [[ServiceNow|ServiceNow]] that provides prescriptive guidance on service-related definitions and data modeling within the ServiceNow AI Platform. A Value Stream Category represents the categorization of a [[Value Stream (CSDM)|Value Stream]], with categories that may be foundational to all businesses and organizations or specific to particular industries. Value Stream Categories are recorded in the cmn_value_stream_categories table and provide a classification structure for organizing Value Streams. The base system includes 16 foundational categories: - **Customer Engagement** – Acquiring customers, determining their needs, selling, and ensuring they are pleased (Business) - **Order Fulfillment** – Receiving orders, fulfilling orders, and collecting payments (Business) - **Customer Service** – Providing customers with services such as help using the product, planning, and consulting (Business) - **Manufacturing** – Production of goods, maintenance of inventory, and interaction with suppliers (Product and Business) - **Procurement Service** – Assistance in supplier selection, contracting, and management (Business) - **Product & Design Engineering** – Designing products and the facilities for manufacturing them (Business) - **Research** – Exploration of potentially valuable science and technology (Business) - **Marketing** – Determining customer needs, products to build, features needed, and advertising (Business) - **Market Information Capture** – Information about sales and competitive intelligence (Business) - **Product Maintenance** – Repairing products and performing preventative maintenance on customer sites (Business) - **Legal** – Solving legal problems and writing contracts (Business) - **Digital Product Development** – Developing and modifying systems and software (Product) - **Technology Enablement** – Building the corporate network, databases, and facilities for distributed computing (Business) - **Human Resources** – From recruitment to termination (Business) - **Leased & Capital Asset Management** – Management of buildings and capital resources (Business) - **Financial Management** – Accounting, banking, and cash management (Business)