Strategic Kanban: Leading Business Innovation

My keynote from Agile Conference Tokyo 2013

Transcript

1. Strategic Kanban: Leading Business Innovation Kraig Parkinson, ThoughtWorks @kraigparkinson #strategickanban Agile Tokyo, 17 Jul 2013 Friday, June 28, 13
2. “The important thing is this: To be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become.” Charles Dubois Friday, June 28, 13
3. “Ford sells computers-on-wheels. McKinsey hawks consulting-in-a- box. FedEx boasts a developer skunkworks. The era of separating traditional industries and technology industries is over—and those who fail to adapt right now will soon find themselves obsolete.” David Kirkpatrick, “Now Every Company is a Software Company”, Forbes Friday, June 28, 13
4. “...The expected lifespan of many products is shrinking...whole product lines and business models are seeing a massive decrease in their typical longevity.... We are now in a constant state of transition.” Jonny Leroy, “Beyond Mobile: Thriving in a Shattered World”, informIT Friday, June 28, 13
5. “To me, ideas are worth nothing unless executed. They are just a multiplier. Execution is worth millions.” Steve Jobs Image source: http://www.bigvisible.com/2013/05/why-lean-startup- isnt-enough/ Friday, June 28, 13
6. We face a challenge. • Successful enterprises use technology to empower great experiences. • Traditional organizational design paradigms don’t work anymore. • Business models need to be dynamic and flexible. • Technology is no longer the constraint, yet execution is still complex. Friday, June 28, 13
7. How might we... ...make it easier for the modern enterprise to continuously innovate upon a technology- empowered experience? Friday, June 28, 13
8. Use kanban to drive innovation • Focus on getting ideas to execution • Work with innovation at various levels of complexity • Limit interruptions to the flow, including speculation • See and fix the problems in our design thinking Friday, June 28, 13
9. Principle 1: Stop Assuming We Know What the Story Is We learn to see that a User Story like this: • As a researcher, I want to organize my surveys into projects, so that I can quickly access surveys that may have related insights. is just one way to addresses an opportunity like this: • How might we make it easier for researchers to manage activities related to quantitative research? Friday, June 28, 13
10. Principle II: Get the right people involved • Business owners (not proxies!) • User experience (UX) designers • Technologists • Users & customers Friday, June 28, 13
11. Principle III: Go and See as Often as Possible • Bring the gemba attitude to your users and customer segments • “Get out of the building.” - Steve Blank, Four Steps to the Epiphany Friday, June 28, 13
12. Look for signs to start the work. analytics a/b tests showcases guerrilla tests user research customer validation kaizen product surveys service staging Friday, June 28, 13
13. A Framework for Continuous Innovation Divergent Thinking Processes Framing Opportunity Generating Ideas Convergent Thinking Processes Developing Paths to Insight Testing/ Validation Harvesting Solutions User Research & Opportunity Generation Manage for Learning & Improving Supporting Delivery Teams Friday, June 28, 13
14. Each opportunity is a problem to solve. • Look from multiple angles • Define the “How might we...?” from a specific perspective • Consider timeframes & relationship to other opportunities or initiatives Framing Opportunity Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ adam10414/5975825787/ Friday, June 28, 13
15. A Framework for Continuous Innovation Divergent Thinking Processes Framing Opportunity Generating Ideas Convergent Thinking Processes Developing Paths to Insight Testing/ Validation Harvesting Solutions User Research & Opportunity Generation Manage for Learning & Improving Supporting Delivery Teams Friday, June 28, 13
16. Challenge conventional thinking with original ideas. • Establish brainstorming rules • Democratize design with a charrette • Keep it simple and imprecise Generating Ideas Image source: http://inasla.org/content.php? page=Design_Charrette_at_Outside_the_Box___A_New_Sensor y_Garden Friday, June 28, 13
17. A Framework for Continuous Innovation Divergent Thinking Processes Framing Opportunity Generating Ideas Convergent Thinking Processes Developing Paths to Insight Testing/ Validation Harvesting Solutions User Research & Opportunity Generation Manage for Learning & Improving Supporting Delivery Teams Friday, June 28, 13
18. Be rigorous when developing paths to insight. • Decide how/where/with whom you will test your concepts • Design multiple “Safe-Fail Experiments” • Always know how you will amplify or dampen the impact of ideas before testing Developing Paths to Insight Image source: http://hdnaturepictures.com/bambo-forests- wallpapers.html Friday, June 28, 13
19. A Framework for Continuous Innovation Divergent Thinking Processes Framing Opportunity Generating Ideas Convergent Thinking Processes Developing Paths to Insight Testing/ Validation Harvesting Solutions User Research & Opportunity Generation Manage for Learning & Improving Supporting Delivery Teams Friday, June 28, 13
20. Test concepts with real customers & users to keep solutions practical. • Watch, listen, empathize • Encourage critique & dissent • 3 people * 30 minutes Image source: http://andrewmckinney.com/projects/weight-watchers- iphone-app/iphone-testing.JPG Testing/ Validation Friday, June 28, 13
21. A Framework for Continuous Innovation Divergent Thinking Processes Framing Opportunity Generating Ideas Convergent Thinking Processes Developing Paths to Insight Testing/ Validation Harvesting Solutions User Research & Opportunity Generation Manage for Learning & Improving Supporting Delivery Teams Friday, June 28, 13
22. Always take your learning forward. • Write user stories to support new behaviors • Adapt the service design and setup training to implement at scale • Be ready to advantage of an opportunity to pivot • Iterate design through new work; don’t let opportunities churn Harvesting Solutions Image source: http://www.rehs.com/printimage.html? image_no=1432 Friday, June 28, 13
23. A Framework for Continuous Innovation Divergent Thinking Processes Framing Opportunity Generating Ideas Convergent Thinking Processes Developing Paths to Insight Testing/ Validation Harvesting Solutions User Research & Opportunity Generation Manage for Learning & Improving Supporting Delivery Teams Friday, June 28, 13
24. Talk openly about innovation. @Daily Stand-up @Showcase @Regular Planning @Anytime! Image source: http://www.manifestajournal.org/sites/default/files/ imagecache/desktop_full/imce/issus16/image_073.jpg Friday, June 28, 13
25. Make it all work • Establish a cadence for taking on new opportunities • Find the various types of innovation work • Define WIP limits to create focus and drive pull • Consider implementing Classes of Service to accommodate varying priorities • Find the pace for each kind of work and manage to it Friday, June 28, 13
26. Remember these enabling factors. • An ambitious mission captivates everyone. • Embrace Continuous Delivery. • Design a pivot-friendly architecture. • Manage visually. • Do it together. Friday, June 28, 13
27. There’s more work ahead. • Learning the difference between robustness and resilience • Looking toward organizational design & organization development as the next level of maturity for innovation Friday, June 28, 13
28. “It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory.” -- W. Edwards Deming Friday, June 28, 13
29. Thank you! Kraig Parkinson, ThoughtWorks www.thoughtworks.com kp@thoughtworks.com @kraigparkinson #strategickanban Friday, June 28, 13