Flow is a very Lean idea. The first two Lean principles are “Specify Value” and “Make Value Flow”. Most agile methods have the concept of flow baked in. A key lever to promote flow is limiting work in progress, something many organizations find very challenging. This talk and demonstration will help project managers “see” how value flows in an agile software development project and why it is important.

1. The Value of Flow
Presented by Dean Stevens
Dean.Stevens@Synaptus.com

2. Flow of Value
Analyze Design
Vision Deliver Ready for
Document Design Design
Analyze Analyze Release
Queue Queue
Feature Feature Feature Feature Feature Feature Feature
Feature Feature Feature Feature Feature Feature

3. Airplane Game
Paper Airplane Game
• Team of 5 makes 20 airplanes
• 1st Run: Fast as you can
– WIP piles up
• 2nd Run: Flow
– Batch size of one
• Consistently better results
– Lead Time: 3X improvement
– Throughput: 10-20% better
– Lower stress
– Easier to manage

4. The Value of Flow
Improves
Customer Lead Time
Makes
Customers
Happy

5. Make Value Flow
Little’s Law
Lead Time = WIP / Throughput
(time) = (items) / (items/time)
Where:
Lead Time: Time from start to finish
WIP: Work in Progress
Throughput: Average completion rate
Reduce WIP to improve Lead Time

6. The Value of Flow
Improves
Throughput
Makes
Business
Happy

7. Avoid Traffic Jams

8. Requires Continuous Improvement
But, reducing WIP exposes Reduce WIP AND solve
hidden problems due to problems to
– Complexity – Establish and improve
– Delay predictable throughput
– Variability – Promote quality

9. Enables Focus
• Faster customer feedback
• Stop starting, start finishing
• Less overhead

10. Enables Quality
• Reducing rework from defects
• Getting faster quality feedback

11. Enables Fast Feedback
• Fast feedback reduces loss from bad outcomes
– Stop working on the wrong thing
• Fast feedback enables exploitation of good outcomes
– Avoid delays when you are doing the right thing
– Learn and innovate
• Fast feedback and progressive elaboration enable an
iterative approach

12. The Value of Flow
Improves
Work Environment
Makes
Employees
Happy

13. Respect People
• Make value clear with Stories
• Self organizing teams
• “Build projects around motivated individuals. Give
them the environment and support they need, and
trust them to get the job done.”

14. The Value of Flow
Flow in Practice

15. Flow in Scrum
• Limit WIP? Stories in a sprint
• Improve Throughput? Retrospectives and improve
velocity
• Respect for People? “Build projects around
motivated individuals. Give them the environment
and support they need, and trust them to get the job
done.”

16. Kanban Board
Simple 2-Tier

17. Kanban Board
LeanKit Kanban with Swimlanes

18. Feature Board
VersionOne Epic Board

19. Questions & Comments?