Exploring the unhappy path

This is a 3-hour workshop deck for LeanAgile US 2019. In addition to thinking of how something can be done well, you often will be well-served to dive into the dark side of how everything could be screwed up. In this workshop we do three activities: Making Space with TRIZ, How Can You Game This?, and Ritual Dissent.

Transcript

1. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom Exploring the Unhappy Path How can it go to heck in a handbasket?? #LeanAgileUS19 !1
2. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom Julia Wester Co-Founder & Principal Consultant at Lagom Solutions Blogger at EverydayKanban.com Based in Seattle, WA (until July!) Web Developer Manager Coach !2 #LeanAgileUS19
3. 1. Making space with TRIZ 3. How can you game this? 5. Ritual Dissent @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !3 #LeanAgileUS19 Workshop Activities in priority order
4. Theory of Inventive Problem Solving @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !4 #LeanAgileUS19 TRIZ /ˈtriːz/ • The same problems and solutions repeat. Most orgs re-invent the wheel rather than look outside their own experiences or that of their direct competitors. • The most powerful solutions are the ones that successfully eliminate the compromises and trade-offs conventionally viewed as inherent in systems. • There are only a small number of possible strategies for overcoming such contradictions. • The most powerful solutions also make maximum use of resources. Most organizations are highly inclined to solve problems by adding things rather than making the current things work more effectively, or transforming the things viewed as harmful into something useful. • That technology evolution trends follow highly predictable paths. Main Findings of >2000 person yrs of research:
5. Making Space with TRIZ @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !5 #LeanAgileUS19 http://www.liberatingstructures.com
6. Making Space with TRIZ, the Liberating Structure The contradictions part of TRIZ is the need for problem solvers to actively seek out the conflicts and contradictions inherent in all systems.
 You ask: “What must we stop doing to make progress on our deepest purpose?” @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !6 #LeanAgileUS19 http://www.liberatingstructures.com/6-making-space-with-triz/
7. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !7 #LeanAgileUS19 Table groups decide on an 
 ANTI-GOAL: a very unwanted result Here are some examples:
8. Making Space with TRIZ - Round 1 How can I/we reliably ensure this anti-goal happens? (list of actions) @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !8 #LeanAgileUS19 http://www.liberatingstructures.com/6-making-space-with-triz/ 1 - 2 - 4 ALL
9. Making Space with TRIZ - Round 2 Is there anything that we are currently doing that in any way, shape, or form resembles the items on the list? @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !9 #LeanAgileUS19 http://www.liberatingstructures.com/6-making-space-with-triz/ 1 - 2 - 4 ALL
10. Making Space with TRIZ - Round 3 What are you or your group going to stop doing? Use format “I will stop…” or “We will stop…” @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !10 #LeanAgileUS19 http://www.liberatingstructures.com/6-making-space-with-triz/ 1 - 2 - 4 ALL
11. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !11 #LeanAgileUS19 Activity Debrief • How did you feel? • What happened? • What did you learn? • How might this be used at work?
12. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !12 #LeanAgileUS19 Tweaks or variations • Go deeper with a second or third round to refine or deepen understanding of unwanted results. • Link these results (creative destruction) to a broad review of activities via Ecocycle Planning. • Share action steps: then go deeper and string together with Troika Consulting, Wise Crowds, or Open Space http://www.liberatingstructures.com/6-making-space-with-triz/
13. How Can You Game This? @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !13 #LeanAgileUS19
14. To surface and explore unintended NEGATIVE consequences of 
 good intentions @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !14 #LeanAgileUS19 How Can You Game This?
15. !15 #LeanAgileUS19 @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom Pick a metric, any metric…
 • Throughput • No. of bugs reported • Cycle Time • No. of deployments per X time period • <your favorite metric here!> How Can You Game This? Groups of 4-5
16. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !16 #LeanAgileUS19 What could you do to make your metric look GREAT yet have horrible outcomes? How can you game it?
17. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !17 #LeanAgileUS19 What is the impact? How can you game it? What would the impact of those actions be?
18. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !18 #LeanAgileUS19 What could we do to: • Minimize risk of gaming • Mitigate impact of the consequences How can we make this safer? What is the impact? How can you game it?
19. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !19 #LeanAgileUS19 Activity Debrief • How did you feel? • What happened? • What did you learn? • How might this be used at work?
20. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !20 #LeanAgileUS19 Ritual Dissent
21. !21 #LeanAgileUS19 Ritual Dissent @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom To ensure that the knowledge and experience of others is integrated early enough in the elaboration of a new concept, strategy or proposal.
22. !22 #LeanAgileUS19 Ritual Dissent - How it works @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom • An appointed spokesperson presents an idea/a series of ideas to a group. 
 (spokesperson should have a resilient/robust personality and not bear a grudge) • Group listens silently. 
 (The group should be a critical audience with varied perspectives.) • Spokesperson turns so that their back is to the audience, listens in silence and takes notes • Group either attacks (dissent) or provides alternative proposals (assent). • Spokesman takes time to reflect on what s/he has heard. Turns around to face group and shares those learnings.
23. Take ~5 minutes to create a proposal for achieving the goal from our first exercise. Appoint a spokesperson to present it to a small audience. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !23 #LeanAgileUS19 Ritual Dissent
24. !24 #LeanAgileUS19 Ritual Dissent 1. Spokesperson from one group presents to silent audience of 2nd group.
 (3min max) 2. Audience attacks the ideas with full and complete vigor. The spokesman listens in silence and takes note. 
 (5min max) 3. Spokesman relays key takeaways / learnings back to audience.
 (2min max) @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom http://www.kstoolkit.org/Ritual+Dissent Pairs of groups
25. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !25 #LeanAgileUS19 Activity Debrief • How did you feel? • What happened? • What did you learn? • How might this be used at work?
26. !26 #LeanAgileUS19 Ritual Dissent - Benefits @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom • It focuses the dissent on the idea itself and not the person presenting • It removes any body language from the discussion. • It makes the person with their back turned listen more deeply. • Overall plans that emerge from this process are more resilient than consensus-based plans https://whatsthepont.com/2011/08/14/ritual-dissent-getting-better-proposals-and-dealing-with-saboteurs/
27. 1. Making space with TRIZ 3. How can you game this? 5. Ritual Dissent @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !27 #LeanAgileUS19 Today you did:
28. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !28 julia@lagom.solutions @everydaykanban & @TeamLagom https://lagom.solutions http://everydaykanban.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliawester/ Contact me to talk more #LeanAgileUS19