Business Agility with Kanban - Meetup Presentation by James Steele

If you’ve heard about Kanban but are not sure what it’s all about, when to use it, or how you can get started – then this presentation is for you! You will learn what Kanban has to offer, if it’s appropriate to your context, how to get started with it, and how it can help you achieve business agility!

Speaker Bio:

James is a former corporate executive turned Management Consultant and Expert Kanban Coach, Consultant, and Trainer.

James helps leaders at all levels of the organization improve business performance, produce meaningful change, and strengthen cultural values.

He's a seasoned management consultant and agile coaching professional with 25 years of experience helping organizations develop improved business operations and service delivery agility.

Recognized for his expert ability to increase business delivery capabilities through multi-disciplinary approaches including Kanban, Scrum, Systems Thinking, Lean and Agile methods.

His passion is to work with leaders and teams to help them foster a mindset of continuous improvement that is founded upon the values of integrity, trust, and respect.

Exceptional business acumen, coupled with a very strong technical background, makes him a highly sought-after professional.

james@squirrelnorth.com

Transcript

1. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth Agile Ottawa Tuesday April 13, 2021 Business agility with kanban SquirrelNorth JAMES STEELE james@squirrelnorth.com
2. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth SquirrelNorth CONSULTING | TRAINING | COACHING MARTIN AZIZ FERNANDO CUENCA JAMES STEELE ALEXEI ZHEGLOV
3. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth “What is Kanban? When is it appropriate? How do I get started?” W i t h k a n b a n s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth B u s i n e s s a g i l i t y
4. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth “What exactly is Kanban?” D i s t i l l e d s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth k a n b a n
5. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth d i s t i l l e d s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth k a n b a n Janice Linden-Reed Senior Manager at Salesforce “Kanban is a method that shows us how our work works.”
6. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth d i s t i l l e d s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth K a n b a n Andy Carmichael Managing Director/Principal Trainer at HUGE IO “Kanban is not a process, or a recipe, or a framework. It’s how to see work.”
7. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth 1: VISUALIZE 6 g e n e r a l p r a c t i c e s 3: MANAGE FLOW 2: LIMIT WORK IN PROGESS d i s t i l l e d K a n b a n 4: MAKE POLICIES EXPLICIT 6: IMPROVE COLLABORATIVELY; EVOLVE EXPERIMENTALLY 5: IMPLEMENT FEEDBACK LOOPS
8. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth We are dealing with humans. Kanban respects that! Start with what you do NOW. Encourage Acts of Leadership at every level. Agree to pursue improvement through Evolutionary Change. d i s t i l l e d K a n b a n * There are also 3 Service Delivery Principles. C H A N G E M A N A G E M E N T P R I N C I P L E S
9. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth d i s t i l l e d K a n b a n DEMAND CAPABILITY The Kanban Method seeks to achieve balance between (customer) Demands and (business) Capabilities. Business Performance = Achieving Balance
10. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth Too Much Demand? d i s t i l l e d K a n b a n Refuse the work requests? Hire more people? Better training? Work longer hours? Take the work anyway? DEMAND CAPABILITY Not Enough Capacity?
11. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth d i s t i l l e d K a n b a n Cost of Delay Classes of Service Board Design Options Model Upstream Kanban Queuing Policy Decoupled Cadences Capacity Allocation … Identify and Remove Delay Bottleneck Handling Dependency Management Understanding Variation Economic Cost Model Risk Review Feedback Loops Liquidity … SHAPE DEMAND IMPROVE CAPABILITY Too Much Demand? Not Enough Capacity?
12. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth “The Kanban Method achieves organizational balance through five key concepts.” c o n c e p t s s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth F i v e k e y
13. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth c o n c e p t s s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth F i v e k e y You can download our “What is Kanban?” PDF if you are interested in reading more about these 5 concepts. Visit squirrelnorth.com/what-is-kanban Visual Models Improved Predictability through Flow Service Delivery Commitment Maximize Agility A Culture of Respect & Leadership
14. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth Kanban uses visual models such as boards and metrics to “unhide” work in progress. A way of seeing workflow Manage and Measure the flow of work c o n c e p t s F i v e k e y V i s u a l M o d e l s
15. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth Techniques to manage flow, remove delays, and get risk under control. c o n c e p t s F i v e k e y I m p r o v e d p r e d i c t a b i l i t y t h r o u g h f l o w Work can get stuck Kanban makes delays stick out like a sore thumb
16. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth c o n c e p t s F i v e k e y Agility dashboard Business agility that is customer focused M a x i m i z e a g i l i t y
17. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth • Evaluate changes you make • Measure your service • Use data to develop SLAs Keep your promises Kanban enables you to manage your capabilities c o n c e p t s F i v e k e y S e r v i c e d e l i v e r y c o m m i t m e n t
18. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth The Kanban Method encourages participation throughout the workforce to lead change. c o n c e p t s F i v e k e y A c u l t u r e o f r e s p e c t & L e a d e r s h i p No more wishful thinking Kanban democratizes leadership so anyone can choose to do something about it!
19. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth d i s t i l l e d K a n b a n Start where you are now A Personal Kanban Board
20. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth d i s t i l l e d K a n b a n Evolutionary change A Portfolio Level Kanban System Photo Credit: Optimizely
21. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth “What purposes does the Kanban Method address? When and why would I use it?” A p p r o p r i a t e ? s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth W h e n i s k a n b a n
22. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth a p p r o p r i a t e W h e n i s k a n b a n Purpose that is directed along these fronts Consider Three Viewpoints Our organization Inward Looking Our customers Outward Looking Our future Forward Looking I need this! We need to focus on getting this done! We need to stay competitive!
23. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth Imagine if we could work at a sustainable pace, avoid burnout, and actually focus on a few things at a time… Organization focus Kanban is appropriate for individuals and teams when seeking these results… a p p r o p r i a t e W h e n i s k a n b a n I n d i v i d u a l s & t e a m s • Relief from individual overburdening • Too much multi-tasking • Produce better quality • Professional pride • Increased collaboration
24. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth Imagine if we could make our customers happier by meeting all of their expectations with outstanding service delivery… customer focus Kanban is appropriate when we desire these things for our customers… D e p a r t m e n t s & s e r v i c e s • Getting things done faster • Being more predictable • Produce reliable results • Adapting to needs • Providing options • Customer satisfaction Thank you! a p p r o p r i a t e W h e n i s k a n b a n
25. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth Imagine if we could respond to emerging opportunities and make informed tactical and strategic decisions… Focus on business future Kanban is appropriate for equipping an organization to survive and thrive… e n t e r p r i s e • Develop organizational capability to adapt • Leverage volatility • Avoid complacency • Shape culture • Continuous improvement • Stay competitive a p p r o p r i a t e W h e n i s k a n b a n Bring it on!
26. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth a p p r o p r i a t e W h e n i s k a n b a n Sustainable pace & improving focus. Attention on performance and customer satisfaction. Staying competitive and adaptive. Appropriate application and adoption via the Kanban agendas… W h y u s e K a n b a n ?
27. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth Thoughts on when the Kanban Method might not be the right choice for your business. A leader who only wants grand gestures? No appetite for an evolutionary change approach? You already meet or exceed all customer expectations? There is no variability in the work you do? Staff are happy and not overburdened? Kanban not for us? a p p r o p r i a t e W h e n i s k a n b a n
28. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth “Although the Kanban Method is leveraged heavily in software development – it is used across a variety of sectors.” k a n b a n s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth W h o u s e s
29. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth Kanban Systems are used in many industries - inside and outside of information technology. healthcare travel banking advertising retail ARCHITECTURE food GOVERNMENT k a n b a n W h o u s e s
30. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth “How do you get started with using Kanban?” W i t h k a n b a n s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth G e t t i n g s t a r t e d
31. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth There are resources available to help you get started with Kanban on your own. W i t h k a n b a n G e t t i n g s t a r t e d B o o k s , a r t i c l e s , w e b i n a r s , p o d c a s t s Doing something about it Pragmatic, actionable, and evidence- based guidance. Simple ideas that can be leveraged in very powerful ways! O n y o u r o w n a p p r o a c h
32. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth W i t h k a n b a n G e t t i n g s t a r t e d B o o k s , a r t i c l e s , w e b i n a r s , p o d c a s t s Business Performance Time PLATEAU • Personal & Team Level • Relief from Overburdening • Increased Transparency • Improved Quality • Better Collaboration • Team Agility E A R L Y W I N S W I T H E A R L Y L I M I T S
33. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth W i t h k a n b a n G e t t i n g s t a r t e d Business Performance Time PLATEAU • Personal & Team Level • Relief from Overburdening • Increased Transparency • Improved Quality • Better Collaboration • Team Agility E A R L Y W I N S W I T H E A R L Y L I M I T S
34. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth W i t h k a n b a n G e t t i n g s t a r t e d From orienting around to teams to orienting around customers. • End-to-End Service Delivery Improvements • Appropriate Application of Practices • Develop Leaders and Org Maturity • Avoid Common Failure Modes • Change Enterprise DNA • Real Business Agility • Improvements Customer’s can feel B E Y O N D T H E P L A T E A U
35. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth Leverage the experience of Kanban consultants and trainers who are experts. Then develop your own! W i t h k a n b a n G e t t i n g s t a r t e d training coaching tools Internal capability P r o f e s s i o n a l h e l p
36. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth “Use the Systems Thinking Approach to Introducing Kanban (STATIK).” W i t h k a n b a n s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth G e t t i n g s t a r t e d
37. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth What is statik? It’s an exploratory and collaborative approach to introducing & refreshing Kanban. S T A T I K w o r k s h o p s • Understand sources of dissatisfaction regarding current delivery. • Understand sources and nature of demand. • Analyze current delivery capability. • Model service delivery workflow. • Identify and define classes of service. • Design the Kanban system. W i t h k a n b a n G e t t i n g s t a r t e d
38. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth The KMM exists to guide appropriate application of 150+ practices. What practices are appropriate for us? Consider your purpose for adopting Kanban in conjunction with your organizational maturity. W i t h k a n b a n G e t t i n g s t a r t e d
39. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth “But remember, the point is not to do Kanban! We want to achieve business outcomes.” W i t h k a n b a n s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth G e t t i n g s t a r t e d
40. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth Getting started checklist W i t h k a n b a n G e t t i n g s t a r t e d • Start where you are now. • Take an evolutionary approach to change. • There are 6 General Practices and 3 Change Mgmt. Principles • Use STATIK to introduce and design Kanban systems. • Leverage expertise to get to real business results.
41. s q u i r r e l n o r t h . c o m SquirrelNorth Agile Ottawa Tuesday April 13, 2021 THANK YOU! SquirrelNorth JAMES STEELE james@squirrelnorth.com