In Kanban the number of work items in progress is limited. So what should we do if tight WIP-Limits and blocked work items impede the flow of work? Here are two approaches suggested by David J. Anderson in his book about Kanban. How to Handle Blocked Work Items Kanban systems bring visibility to problems and… Read Article →
Posts Tagged: Kanban
A visual display that presents up-to-date, sufficiently detailed, and important information to passersby in an easy, self-interpretable format. Source: Agile Development Resources
In Kanban or Scrum the removal of impediments or blockages is critical for the productivity of teams. One effective behaviour is swarming. Here’s what it is and how it works … Swarming In lean production the andon cord stops the line and all employees affected by the stoppage swarm to collectively resolve the issue. How… Read Article →
The main goal of Kanban is to introduce change with minimal resistance. In his book about Kanban, David J Anderson gives us a step-by-step guide to to bootstrapping a Kanban system. Bootstrapping a Kanban System Agree on a set of goals Map the Value Stream Define the point for input control Define the exit point… Read Article →
“There are two types of bottlenecks: capacity constrained and non-instant variability. Here´s how to approach them.” The Two Types of Bottlenecks Capacity Constrained: unable to do more work Non-Instant availability: limited capacity due to limited (but usually predictable) availability Strategies to Handle Bottlenecks Generally bottlenecks perform well below their potential capacity. It is therefore… Read Article →
The main goal of Kanban is to introduce change with minimal resistance. Before we can actually start with Kanban we need some goals to head for. In his book about Kanban, David J Anderson gives us a set of exemplary goals. Goal Template Optimise Existing Processes (main goal) Deliver with High Quality Focus on quality… Read Article →
Standard class items are generally delivered within x days of selection with a due date performance of m percent. A typical standard class service-level agreement might offer a 30-day lead time with 80 percent due date performance. In other words, four out of five requests should be delivered within 30 days. […] The concept of… Read Article →
In his book about Kanban, David J. Anderson gives us some hints on the ideal backlog size. The ideal Kanban Backlog Size Three month of delivery throughput (three month worth of work It depends on market and domains: high volatility > one month worth of items low volatility > up to one year of items… Read Article →
In his book about Kanban, David J. Anderson tells us how to modify the daily standup to be most effective in a Kanbanchi setup. What to Discuss in a Kanban Standup The Scrum Standup The daily standup meeting in a scrum setup answers three questions: What has been achieved since the last standup? What… Read Article →
In his book about Kanban, David J. Anderson shows us how we can handle activities that are not actually having a specific sequence. Some activities can be executed in any order as long as everything is done before proceeding with the next step in the process. This is especially true for creative activities. Unordered… Read Article →
In his book about Kanban, David J. Anderson shows us how we can visualise activities on a Kanban board that can be done in parallel. What to do when the sequence is not specified 2 Patterns for Parallel Activites Cross Reference For both patterns it might be necessary to label the two cards to be… Read Article →
In his book about Kanben David J. Anderson mentioned 2 approaches how to handle WIP-Limits when installing a Kanban System. Adding Buffers or Queues Approach #1 – Self-Revelation Two variants are possible here: Don´t add buffers, instead let the bottleneck reveal itself. Only when you identified it add buffers to protect it. Set WIP-Limits loosely first so that… Read Article →
Definition of “Kaizen Culture” in one sentence. A workplace culture where the entire workforce is focussed on continually improving quality, productivity, and customer satisfaction is known as a “kaizen culture”. A few characteristics: workforce is empowered Individuals feel free to take actions, and implement fixes and improvements management is tolerant to failure if the experimentation… Read Article →
In his book about Kanban, David J. Anderson gives us his 6 step recipe for a successful Kanban implementation. The Kanban Recipe This guideline enables a team adopting lean quick improvements and low levels of resistance. Focus on Quality Reduce Work-in-Progress Deliver Often Balance Demand against Throughput Prioritize Attack Sources of Variability to Improve Predictability… Read Article →
David J Anderson shares his 9 step approach on how a Kanban team should mature How to Mature a Kanban Team Learn to build high-quality code reduce the WIP shorten lead times release often balance demand against throughput limit WIP create slack implement improvements improve prioritization to optimize delivery See also: Kanban: A 6 Step Recipe for Success… Read Article →