Presented at Agile Prague 2017

1. @xroadstree
Kanban
14 Things Every Agilist Should Know About
Travis Birch

2. @xroadstree
Travis Birch
Partner, VP Consulting Services

3. @xroadstree
1. Customer Focus

4. @xroadstree
Customer
Need
Expressed
Customer
Need
Fulfilled
DeliveryUpstream Discovery
Suggestions Synthesis Analysis Ready to
Start
Test DeployReady to
Commit
BuildElaborate

5. @xroadstree
2. Service Orientation

6. @xroadstree
Customer
Need
Expressed
Customer
Need
Fulfilled
Suggestions Synthesis Analysis Ready to
Start
Test Deploy
Delivery
Ready to
Commit
BuildElaborate
Service-Delivery System
Upstream Discovery
@DiscoveryKanban
www.discovery-kanban.com
@PatrickSteyaert

7. @xroadstree
Customer
Need
Expressed
Customer
Need
Fulfilled
Suggestions Synthesis Analysis Ready to
Start
Test Deploy
Delivery
Ready to
Commit
BuildElaborate
Service-Delivery System
Upstream Discovery

8. @xroadstree
Real Teams in the Real World
Are Part of Service Delivery
Real Teams in
the Real World

9. @xroadstree
Customer
Need
Expressed
Customer
Need
Fulfilled
Suggestions Synthesis Analysis Ready to
Start
Test Deploy
Delivery
Ready to
Commit
BuildElaborate
Service-Delivery System
Upstream Discovery
Real Teams in
the Real World
?

10. @xroadstree
3. Complex Adaptive Systems

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Your Organization is an ecosystem
of interdependent services, a
complex adaptive system.
–Alexei Zheglov, LeanKanban Inc.
@az1

12. @xroadstree
You introduce a Kanban system into it
such that it is likely that the complex
system is stimulated to improve.
–Alexei Zheglov, LeanKanban Inc.
@az1

13. @xroadstree
4. Core Concepts

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Transparency
Balance
Collaboration
Customer Focus
Flow
Leadership
Understanding
Agreement
Respect
Start with what you do
now
Agree to pursue
evolutionary change
Encourage acts of
leadership at all levels
Understand & focus on
customer needs &
expectations
Manage the work, let
people self-organize
around it
Evolve policies to improve
outcomes
Visualize
Limit WIP
Manage Flow
Make Policies Explicit
Implement Feedback
Loops
Improve Collaboratively,
Evolve Experimentally
Values
Survivability
Service-Orientation
Sustainability
Agendas Principles Practices
–Anderson et al, LeanKanban Inc.
The Kanban Method: Core Concepts

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5. Protokanban

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Personal Kanban
Backlog Next In-progress Done
B
F
D
E
C
A
8
I
H
J
G
K
3 3
8
–Anderson et al, LeanKanban Inc.

17. @xroadstree
Team Kanban
Backlog Next In-progress Done
B
F
D
E
C
A
8
I
H
J
G
K
3 3
E
B
O
8
–Anderson et al, LeanKanban Inc.

18. @xroadstree
Protokanban
✓ Recognize that your work involves a flow of value from the
request for an item to its delivery to your customer;
✓ Visualize the work and the process for delivering the work;
✓ Continually improve the process by applying the values,
principles and practices;
✓ Characteristics of system barely different from starting point.
–Anderson et al, LeanKanban Inc.

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6. Emergent Kanban Maturity

20. @xroadstree
Decoupled Cadences & Constant WIP
Backlog
Committed In-progress Ready for
Delivery
Delivered
B
F
D
E C
A
8
I
H
J
G
K
E
B
O
6
8
CONWIP
Replenishment Delivery
–Anderson et al, LeanKanban Inc.

21. @xroadstree
Discovery Kanban Delivery Kanban
Pool of
Ideas
Risk Analysis Requirements
Analysis
Engineering
Ready
Committed Development Testing
Ongoing Done Verify Done
Q
3
F
C
A
H
I
G
K
D
E
B
E B
O
N
M
L
JO
P
G
34
T
RRRRRU
RRRRR
RRRRRS
O
4-88-1616-32
8
B
B
T
RRRRW
RRRRX
K
Service Request Manager Service Delivery Manager
–Anderson et al, LeanKanban Inc.

22. @xroadstree
Visualizing Risk in a Portfolio Kanban
Allocation
of Personal
Proposed Projects Projects-in-progress
Strategic
40%
Operational
30%
Tactical
20%
B
F
D
E
C
A
I
H
J
G
K
% complete
–Anderson et al, LeanKanban Inc.

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7. STATIK

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• Your Organization is an ecosystem of interdependent
services, a complex adaptive system.
• You introduce a Kanban system into it such that it is
likely that the complex system is stimulated to
improve.
• The Systems Thinking Approach to Introducing Kanban—
STATIK—is how you can make such a transition more
succesful.
–Zheglov, LeanKanban Inc.
@az1

25. @xroadstree
STATIK
1. Fitness for purpose
2. Sources of dissatisfaction
3. Sources of demand
4. Capability
5. Map the workflow
6. Classes of service
7. Design Kanban System
8. Socialize & rollout
9. Feedback Loops
10.Continue Service by Service
The Systems Thinking Approach to Introducing Kanban
–Anderson et al, LeanKanban Inc.

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8. Kanban IS Scaled Agility

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Kanban at Scale
IN
PROG
DONE
IN
PROG
DONE
IN
PROG
DONE
IN
PROG
DONE
IN
PROG
DONE
IN
PROG
DONE
IN
PROG
DONE
PROGRAM
READY
ANALYSIS/
REFINEMENT/
DESIGN
DEV INTEGRATION RELEASE
READY
RELEASE BUSINESS
LAUNCH
• P.O.’S & KANBAN
LEADS ALIGN
• RELEASE READY
FEATURE SIGNALS
PULL
• TECHNICAL LEADS
ALIGN
• CODE REVIEW
• FEATURE REVIEW
• CHILD STORIES
ACCEPTED BY P.O.
• APPROVED BY
PROGRAM
LEADERS (MDR +
TC)
• IMPLEMENTATION
PLAN
• RUN BOOKS
• BUSINESS
COMMUNICATION
PLAN
• MINIMUM VIABLE
FEATURE SET
COMPLETE
• BUSINESS
STAKEHOLDERS
APPROVE MVP
STAGES
POLICIES
A
FEATURES
PROGRAM WIP
LIMIT = 4 FEATURE
OPS
ENABLER
AUTOMATE
+
TECH DEBT
DM
ENABLER
EXPEDITE
WORK
TYPES
LEGEND
C
BBBBF FF F DE EE E
C
AAAA
AB
A
A
B
E BC
CE
D
D
BIGGIE 2.2
MMF 1 FEATURE
TEAMS
ENABLEMENT
TEAMS
B

28. @xroadstree
9. Flow Systems

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Flow Systems
“..work is a flow of value, whether continuous or episodic.”
‣ Kanban systems are flow systems of knowledge work.
‣ Work items flow through stages of knowledge generation and
application.
-Essential Kanban Condensed, Anderson & Carmichael

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Knowledge
Time
Analysis
Build
Test
Deploy
Stages of Knowledge Discovery
NOT Hand-offs
@az1

31. @xroadstree
Flow Systems
‣ Visual signals limit WIP
‣ Commitment & delivery points
‣ Commitment point is preceeded by options
‣ Lead time - an item’s time between commitment & delivery
points
‣ Customer lead time
‣ Deferred commitment
-Essential Kanban Condensed, Anderson & Carmichael

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10. Manage Flow
NOT People
NOT Time Boxes

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Manage Flow
‣ WIP limits create pull
systems.
‣ Resource utilization is a
management blight.
‣ Pull systems relieve
overburdening and enable
focus on value delivery.

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• Flow, not people, should be managed
• Maximize delivery of value
• Minimize lead times
• Increase predictability
• Reduce risk
Manage Flow
-Essential Kanban Condensed, Anderson & Carmichael

35. @xroadstree
Cumulative FlowNumberofFeatures
0
13
25
38
50
Time
0 1 2 3 4
Released Test Development Committed
Average System WIP
Average Lead Time
Average Test WIP
New Features

36. @xroadstree
11. Classes of Service

37. @xroadstree
Classes of Service

38. @xroadstree
12. Feedback Loops

39. @xroadstree

40. @xroadstree
‣ Strategy Review
‣ Operations Review
‣ Risk Review
‣ Service Delivery Review
‣ Replenishment Meeting
‣ The Kanban Meeting
‣ Delivery Planning Meeting
Cadences
-Essential Kanban Condensed, Anderson & Carmichael
Feedback Loops
‣ Strategy alignment
‣ Operational coordination
‣ Risk management
‣ Service improvement
‣ Replenishment
‣ Flow
‣ Customer Deliveries

41. @xroadstree
13. Evolutionary Change

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“Transformation”
Performance
Time
RECOVERY
COST
ChangeAgentgetsfired

43. @xroadstree
Evolutionary Change with Kanban
Performance
Time
Continuous Improvement

44. @xroadstree
14. You Can Kanban Any Workflow

45. @xroadstree
Customer
Need
Expressed
Customer
Need
Fulfilled
Kanban: Real Scaled Agility for Your Enterprise
Suggestions Synthesis Analysis Ready to
Start
Test Deploy
You can Kanban this
Upstream Discovery Delivery
Ready to
Commit
BuildElaborate
Service-Delivery System
You can Kanban this
Real Teams in
the Real World
You can
Kanban
this
You can Kanban this

46. @xroadstree
Resources
Kanban Basics Flow STATIK