Jumping off the Hamster Wheel with Kanban

You’re running and running and running but the scenery never changes. You never actually get to your destination. So, you run faster and faster thinking that if you just try harder then you’ll get there. Do you feel like you’re living your life in a hamster wheel? You’re not alone. Many teams face conditions that keep them feeling exactly the same way.

This session walks through solutions to a variety of unfortunate problems teams commonly face, such as:

* unsustainable amounts of work, with pressure to start yet more work
* constant barrage of emergencies that push everything else to the side
* splitting peoples’ focus into percentages: 20% here, 40% there…
* a level of specialization across the team that creates a lot of wait time for requests
* inability to show others why you aren’t making progress on your deliverables

Transcript

1. Julia Wester
   @everydaykanban
   everydaykanban.com
   Anna Kovats
   @anna_kovats
   Jumping off the hamster wheel
   with Kanban
   Agile 2016
   

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2. Who are we?
   @everydaykanban
   @anna_kovats
   Julia Wester
   Consultant, Trainer,
   Blogger, Learner
   Anna Kovats
   Efficiency Afficionado,
   Mgr, Internal Consultant
   

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3. Our story begins
   @everydaykanban
   @anna_kovats
   

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4. @everydaykanban
   @anna_kovats
   Perceptions
   

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5. Common challenges
   @everydaykanban
   @anna_kovats
   

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6. Searching for help
   @everydaykanban
   @anna_kovats
   

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7. Searching for help
   @everydaykanban
   @anna_kovats
   

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8. @everydaykanban
   @anna_kovats
   We had learned to value
   starting over finishing.
   Could this be our problem?
   

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9. Four Core Principles
   @everydaykanban
   @anna_kovats
   1
   3
   2
   4
   

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10. @everydaykanban
    @anna_kovats
    

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11. 1: Visualize your work (in your workflow)
    @everydaykanban
    @anna_kovats
    

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12. @everydaykanban
    @anna_kovats
    Expedite
    Intangible
    Fixed Date
    Standard
    Visualize info that gives you info
    about your problem
    

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13. 2: Limit your WIP (aka Work-in-process)
    @everydaykanban
    @anna_kovats
    5 12 5 2
    

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14. The cost of not limiting your WIP
    5 interruptions x 10 minutes =
    50m lost work time [pp/ per day]
    50 minutes x 5 days per week =
    ~ ½ work day lost [pp/per week]
    8 people x ½ day per week =
    4 working days lost in a week
    @everydaykanban
    @anna_kovats
    

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15. Let’s test how well you multitask!
    @everydaykanban
    @anna_kovats
    A
    B
    C
    D
    …
    J
    1
    2
    3
    4
    …
    10
    I
    II
    III
    IV
    …
    X
    An exercise in two parts
    

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16. @everydaykanban
    @anna_kovats
    AK
    JW
    start
    Focus / commitment end
    Whether it is a standalone piece of
    work…
    or an entire project.
    WIP limits put a focus on focus
    

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17. @everydaykanban
    @anna_kovats
    Enable focus at a higher level
    Quit the percentage game
    

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18. Quick break for
    questions
    @everydaykanban
    @anna_kovats
    

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19. 3: Manage Flow of Work
    @everydaykanban
    @anna_kovats
    

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20. My job: facilitate this process
    

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21. 4: Make Process Policies Explicit
    @everydaykanban
    @anna_kovats
    

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22. Goal: Know what work is most important
    @everydaykanban
    @anna_kovats
    5 3 3
    A
    C
    B
    C
    D
    C
    On Deck Doing Review Done
    A
    B
    D
    D
    B
    A
    

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23. 5: Implement Feedback Loops
    @everydaykanban
    @anna_kovats
    http://www.reply-mc.com/
    

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24. 6: Improve Collaboratively
    @everydaykanban
    @anna_kovats
    Specialization
    and a small
    team led to a
    focus on
    cross-training
    to remove
    bottlenecks.
    Our Cross-Training Experiment
    

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25. @everydaykanban
    @anna_kovats
    Level out
    specialization
    to save the
    experts for
    the big stuff
    

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26. only way to go
    higher confidence level
    better set expectations
    Stacie Buckley, Director of Business Operations,
    NBA.com, Turner Sports (2012)
    Changed minds, happier teams
    @everydaykanban
    @anna_kovats
    

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27. Successful journey, key outcomes
    • More realistic about what we
    could accomplish
    • Discussions became less
    emotional
    • Increased capacity without
    increasing cost
    • Saw major increase in
    revenue
    @everydaykanban
    @anna_kovats
    

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28. @everydaykanban
    @anna_kovats
    Want to
    begin your
    journey?
    • Start with a problem
    • Respect the past
    • Be a scientist
    • Learn via all
    outcomes
    • Repeat the cycle
    

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29. Have any questions?
    • Learn the signs of too much WIP & why it happens
    • Learn how to avoid change resistance
    • Learn ways to visualize your work & it's key attributes
    • Learn methods for prioritizing work
    • Learn methods for balancing project & non-project work
    • Understand why cross-training is key for specialist teams
    @everydaykanban
    @anna_kovats
    Want to dive deeper into any learning outcomes?
    

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30. Anna Kovats
    Carry  on  the  conversation…
    EverydayKanban.com
    @everydaykanban
    /in/juliawester
    Julia Wester
    /in/anna-kovats-36438810
    

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