Have you ever been to a Formula One race and watched the pit crews in action? While most of the glory goes to the drivers, it is really the high-performance of the entire team and their processes that make the difference between winning and losing. Lean & Agile practices are well known in product development. But how do leaders of complex people systems practice Lean? This talk will share some proven techniques that help you create high performing teams, amplify learning, uncover waste, continually improve your standard work, manage your backlog, improve accountability, make decisions faster, uncover difficult issues.
2. @LEANDOG @JONRSTAHL JON.@LEANDOG.COM
Jon Stahl
CEO, LeanDog
- Grew up in Pittsburgh
- Lived in Cleveland last 21 yrs
- BS in CIS & Economics Minor
- Co-founded LeanDog in 2008
4. ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN DESIGN & DELIVERY
Transform companies and their
cultures by helping them adopt Lean
& Agile practices through coaching
and training.
Craft powerful, intuitive technology
products using Lean practices that
continuously deliver value to our
clients and their users.
We build technology and cultures that inspire and delight.
10. PEOPLE SYSTEMS PROCESS SYSTEMS
HIGH PERFORMING
TEAMS
STANDARD
WORK
CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
SPEED IN LEAN
11. • Creative work environment for
adults
• Attract creative people with diverse
backgrounds
• Teams design the space
• Amplify learning, bring it in
• Healthy balance
• Trust people
HIGH PERFORMING TEAMS
5
40. PEOPLE SYSTEMS PROCESS SYSTEMS
HIGH PERFORMING
TEAMS
STANDARD
WORK
CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
SPEED IN LEAN
41. See the whole
Visualize what you manage
The standard is on the wall
Improve the standard every day
Create accountability
STANDARD WORK
SEE THE WHOLE
71. Your backlog is infinite
How do you manage it?
Email, meetings, voice mails, LinkedIn, txt, etc.
Avoid over-processing
Work on highest value first
Getting Things Done: Do, Defer, Delegate,
Delete
STANDARD WORK
MANAGE YOUR BACKLOG
5
74. MAKE YOUR BACKLOG VISIBLE
• All backlog should be visible and value based
• If we all work the same way it will be easier to
– Work together
– Know what’s on each other’s plates
– Delegate properly
– Avoid mismanaged commitments
– Reduce low value work / eliminate waste
– Share autonomy and control
76. Meetings ProjectsPersonal Departments
DelegateDefer DeleteDo
Done
Done
Personal
Backlog
(Card Tool)
Someone Else's
Personal Backlog
(Card Tool)
Calendar Project Backlog
Department
Backlog
(Trello)
Forms
of Work
Personal
Backlog
77. 1. Create a Personal Backlog board
2. Create a list called “Inbox Zero Backlog”
3. Generate an email address and set it to populate in the Inbox
Zero Backlog list
4. Create a email contact with this email address
5. Create a “Stand Up Goals” list
6. Use Calendar view to see your meeting commitment, add
backlog around this
OUR INBOX ZERO STANDARD WORK
79. LOTS OF BACKLOG…
Backlog
Conferences
Need to Schedule
Scheduled > 2 Weeks
Out Scheduled Next
Week Scheduled This
Week Scheduling
Next
Today
Missed/Cancelled Meeting
Waiting/Watching
97. How to talk about the hard stuff
Make it visual, of course
The best servant leaders have the courage
and respect to raise the hard topics &
change the past
Listen to and respect “the smallest voice” via
the Sacred Cow technique
CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT
RETROSPECTIVES & MORE
99. In communities, a "sacred cow" is a foundational idea that, though having lost its
importance or value with time, cannot be abandoned because of the effort invested
in it in the past.
As such, the "sacred cow" can be symbolic of past success, struggle, or
sacrifice.
The presence of sacred cows leads to inhibited communication and Group Think.
Group Think occurs when a group makes suboptimal decisions because of process
problems or communication problems due to Social Normalization.
Group members may, privately, realize that the decisions are poor ones but feel
powerless to change them for fear of offending other group members,
injuring Sacred Cows.
“SACRED COWS”
109. “The pessimist complains about the wind;
the optimist expects it to change;
the realist adjusts the sails.”
- William Arthur Ward
QUESTIONS? FIRE AWAY
110. HIGH PERFORMING TEAMS
• Creative environment that
amplifies learning
• T-Shaped people and diverse
backgrounds
• Healthy & adult recess
• Maker toys
• Bring learning to them
STANDARD WORK
• See the whole with information
radiators
• Pair management
• Manage your backlog, Inbox 0
& GTD
• Lightweight decision making
processes
– Fist to Five
– 6 Thinking Hats
– Collaboration 8
CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT
• 2 Second Lean, Retrospectives, Pair Management, Sacred Cows