The Lagom Paradox: Sometimes Less is More

We often tackle problems by adding more processes, policies, systems, etc. It doesn’t always work. Instead we should embrace lagom. Lagom is Swedish for “not too much, not too little, just right.” Learn how the pursuing balance can equate to greater success & how to identify lagom in your context.

Transcript

1. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom The Lagom Paradox Sometimes Less is More?!? #devopsdays
2. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !2 #devopsdays Pretty much a normal day…
3. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !3 #devopsdays
4. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !4 #devopsdays Inattentional Blindness
5. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !5 #devopsdays
6. Understanding how unintended consequences come about and give us some insight into what to do differently. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !6 #devopsdays Systems Thinking https://john-lewis-artist.deviantart.com/
7. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !7 #leanagileus The 3 Gaps! Knowledge Alignment Effects
8. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !8 #devopsdays Knowledge Gap Difference between what we would like to know and what we actually know Reaction: more detailed information
9. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !9 #devopsdays Knowledge Gap Alignment Gap Difference between what we would like to know and what we actually know Reaction: more detailed information Difference between what we want people to do and what they actually do Reaction: more detailed instructions
10. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !10 #devopsdays Knowledge Gap Alignment Gap Difference between what we would like to know and what we actually know Reaction: more detailed information Difference between what we want people to do and what they actually do Reaction: more detailed instructions Difference between what we expect our actions to achieve and what they actually achieve Reaction: more detailed controls Effects Gap
11. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !11 #devopsdays It’s a vicious cycle
12. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !12 #devopsdays What is that?
13. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !13 #devopsdays
14. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !14 #devopsdays
15. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !15 #devopsdays I’ll tell you when I’ve had enough
16. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !16 #devopsdays
17. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !17 #devopsdays Binary Thinking
18. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !18 #devopsdays most most extreme extreme negative outcomes Lagom is somewhere in a spectrum between extremes fewest fewer fewer
19. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !19 #devopsdays most fewest most fewer fewer Focus on failure prevention Focus on fast recovery negative outcomes Lagom is somewhere in a spectrum between extremes
20. https://www.engadget.com/2014/04/02/spotifys-quest-for-balanced-design/ The guiding philosophy was that of “lagom” … A balance between being distinctly new and modern, but not unfamiliar; feature rich, but not overwhelming; beautiful, but not over-designed. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !20 #devopsdays on redesigning the user experience
21. Context matters… @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !21 #devopsdays lagom
22. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !22 #devopsdays The Lagom Discovery Canvas
23. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !23 #devopsdays Decision: What decision are you trying to make? Lagom What are the ideal outcomes when you do this just right? Too Little What consequences occur when you operate at this extreme… positive and negative! Too Much What consequences occur when you operate at this extreme… positive and negative! Hypothesis: What might get you closer to just right? Plan / Do Study What do your success metrics tell you? Are you closer to lagom, farther away or the same distance? Adjust Do you need to tweak the plan & continue or make a new hypothesis? How will you test your hypothesis? How will you know if you are closer to lagom? When will you review?
24. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !24 #devopsdays Decision What decision are you trying to make?
25. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !25 #devopsdays Decision: How much work should we have in process at once?
26. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !26 #devopsdays Lagom What ideal outcomes will happen if we have a well-balanced approach for this decision?
27. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !27 #devopsdays Decision: How much work should we have in process at once? Lagom • Fast delivery • Keeping pace • Team challenged, not overwhelmed • Low # of bugs / High Customer Satisfaction scores
28. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom Too Little Too Much What consequences occur when you operate at this extreme? What consequences occur when you operate at this extreme? #devopsdays !28 Think about the positive and negative!
29. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !29 #devopsdays Decision: How much work should we have in process at once? Lagom Too Little Too Much • Slow delivery • Not Keeping Pace • Team Burnout • Poor quality • No time for improvement • Fast delivery ✔ • Keeping pace ✔ • Bored People • Mediocre quality • Seen as overstaffed • Fast delivery • Keeping pace • Team challenged, not overwhelmed • Low # of bugs / High Customer Satisfaction scores
30. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !30 #devopsdays Natural Tendency If left unmanaged, would you operate at lagom, too little, or too much?
31. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !31 #devopsdays Decision: How much work should we have in process at once? Lagom Too Little Too Much ❌ • Fast delivery ✔ • Keeping pace ✔ • Bored People • Mediocre quality • Seen as overstaffed • Slow delivery • Not Keeping Pace • Team Burnout • Poor quality • No time for improvement • Fast delivery • Keeping pace • Team challenged, not overwhelmed • Low # of bugs / High Customer Satisfaction scores
32. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !32 #leanagileus Hypothesis What might get you closer to (or help you stay at) just right?
33. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !33 #devopsdays Decision: How much work should we have in process at once? Hypothesis: Reducing our WiP from 30 to 20 items for the team as a whole will be more lagom. Lagom Too Little Too Much ❌ • Fast delivery ✔ • Keeping pace ✔ • Bored People • Mediocre quality • Seen as overstaffed • Slow delivery • Not Keeping Pace • Team Burnout • Poor quality • No time for improvement • Fast delivery • Keeping pace • Team challenged, not overwhelmed • Low # of bugs / High Customer Satisfaction scores
34. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !34 #leanagileus Plan / Do How will you test your hypothesis? How will you know if you are closer to lagom? When will you review?
35. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !35 #devopsdays Decision: How much work should we have in process at once? Hypothesis: Introducing a WiP limit of 20 items for the team as a whole will provide more lagom outcomes. Plan / Do • Enable WiP Limit of 30 in “Doing” on virtual board. Only exceed for stop the line events. • Monthly metrics review: Throughput, Cycle Time, Quality, Team Satisfaction. Lagom Too Little Too Much ❌ • Fast delivery ✔ • Keeping pace ✔ • Bored People • Mediocre quality • Seen as overstaffed • Slow delivery • Not Keeping Pace • Team Burnout • Poor quality • No time for improvement • Fast delivery • Keeping pace • Team challenged, not overwhelmed • Low # of bugs / High Customer Satisfaction scores
36. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !36 #leanagileus Study What do your success metrics tell you? Are you closer to lagom, farther away or the same distance?
37. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !37 #devopsdays Decision: How much work should we have in process at once? Hypothesis: Introducing a WiP limit of 20 items for the team as a whole will provide more lagom outcomes. Plan / Do Study Keeping pace with requests and reducing burnout. Quality is static. Adhered to WIP limit 60% of time. • Enable WiP Limit of 30 in “Doing” on virtual board. Only exceed for stop the line events. • Monthly metrics review: Throughput, Cycle Time, Quality, Team Satisfaction. Lagom Too Little Too Much ❌ on the right track • Fast delivery ✔ • Keeping pace ✔ • Bored People • Mediocre quality • Seen as overstaffed • Slow delivery • Not Keeping Pace • Team Burnout • Poor quality • No time for improvement • Fast delivery • Keeping pace • Team challenged, not overwhelmed • Low # of bugs / High Customer Satisfaction scores
38. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !38 #devopsdays Adjust Do you need to tweak the plan & continue or make a new hypothesis?
39. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !39 #devopsdays Decision: How much work should we have in process at once? Hypothesis: Introducing a WiP limit of 20 items for the team as a whole will provide more lagom outcomes. Plan / Do Study • Enable WiP Limit of 30 in “Doing” on virtual board. Only exceed for stop the line events. • Monthly metrics review: Flow Efficiency, Throughput, Cycle Time, Quality, Team Satisfaction. Lagom Too Little Too Much ❌ on the right track Adjust Reduce WiP Limit to 15 until we can reduce stop the line events. Check in 30d. • Fast delivery ✔ • Keeping pace ✔ • Bored People • Mediocre quality • Seen as overstaffed • Slow delivery • Not Keeping Pace • Team Burnout • Poor quality • No time for improvement • Fast delivery • Keeping pace • Team challenged, not overwhelmed • Low # of bugs / High Customer Satisfaction scores Keeping pace with requests and reducing burnout. Quality is static. Adhered to WIP limit 60% of time.
40. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !40 #devopsdays Celebrate!
41. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !41 #devopsdays Staying Lagom
42. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !42 #devopsdays Bringing it all together
43. Drucker’s Law You will achieve the greatest results in business and career if you 
 drop the word “achievement” 
 from your vocabulary and 
 replace it with “contribution”. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !43 #devopsdays
44. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !44 #devopsdays Takeaways Adopt spectrum thinking instead of binary thinking. Anticipate unintentional impacts of decisions & actions. Experiment to find lagom - the range of best balance. Check if your lagom decisions combine to make a lagom whole.
45. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !45 #devopsdays julia@lagom.solutions @everydaykanban & @TeamLagom https://lagom.solutions http://everydaykanban.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliawester/ Contact me to talk more