Exploring slowness | Kanban Coaching Exchange | 2023

“We need to go faster!” – There are good reasons for an organization to increase the speed of its product delivery. Among them might be a desire for rapid feedback from customers as well as an ability for a rapid response to such feedback. We reframe the call to action of going faster and propose to go less slowly by addressing waiting times within value chains of an organization. The talk will discuss different ways to reduce waiting times from different perspectives, from tweaks at a single stage of a value chain to opportunities that arise when one considers an entire value chain. We illustrate how a reduction of waiting times can be measured and how such measurements can be used to help raise awareness for product delivery speed and to enable an organization to start having conversations with their customers about it.

Transcript

1. Exploring slowness Kanban Coaching Exchange | 19 January 2023 | Thomas Epping
2. 2 Photo by Emily Morter on Unsplash
4. Exploring slowness Kanban Coaching Exchange | 19 January 2023 | Thomas Epping
5. Mon, 05 Apr 2021 Tue, 20 Apr 2021 Wed, 28 Apr 2021 5 What about <X>? We haven’t got to that yet. I need <X>. Photo by Miikka Luotio on Unsplash
6. Mon, 05 Apr 2021 Tue, 20 Apr 2021 Wed, 28 Apr 2021 Thu, 20 May 2021 Fr, 28 May 2021 6 What about <X>? We haven’t got to that yet. I’ve been waiting for over six weeks now! OK, it’s done. I need <X>. Photo by Miikka Luotio on Unsplash
7. Mon, 05 Apr 2021 Tue, 20 Apr 2021 Wed, 28 Apr 2021 Thu, 20 May 2021 Fr, 28 May 2021 Mon, 31 May 2021 7 What about <X>? We haven’t got to that yet. I’ve been waiting for over six weeks now! OK, it’s done. I need <X>. Sorry, too late. Photo by Miikka Luotio on Unsplash
8. “We need to go faster!” Part I Basics 8 Photo by Jackson Simmer on Unsplash
9. 9 Photo by almoond on Thinkstock
10. 10 To Do Doing Done Photo by Leon on Unsplash
11. 11 To Do Doing Done Blocked | Waiting Photo by Leon on Unsplash
12. 12 To Do Doing Blocked | Waiting Done touch time wait time lead time Photo by Leon on Unsplash
13. Wait time Lead time Touch time 13 https:/ /kanbanbooks.com/
14. Wait time Lead time Touch time Little’s Law ∅ lead time = ∅ WIP / ∅ delivery rate 14 https:/ /kanbanbooks.com/
15. Wait time Lead time Touch time Little’s Law ∅ lead time = ∅ WIP / ∅ delivery rate Flow efficiency (in percent) E = touch time / (touch time + wait time) 15 https:/ /kanbanbooks.com/
16. Personal note #1 Generic boards tend to be appropriate for a very inexperienced or a very experienced environment; they hardly allow any statement about wait time, lead time, or touch time. 16 Photo by tito pixel on Unsplash
17. 17 Photo by Leon on Unsplash Product backlog In analysis Ready for refinement Live Ready for deployment In QA Ready for QA Ready for code review In development Ready for development Selected for refinement Validated Waiting for approval
18. 18 What’s your board design ? A glimpse into your world To Do | Doing | Done Waiting | Blocked Touch time and wait time (sophisticated) Survey A C B D Something different, or I don’t use a board Photo by almoond on Thinkstock
20. 20 State of Kanban Report 2021 2022
21. 21 Photo by Leon on Unsplash Product backlog In analysis Ready for refinement Live Ready for deployment In QA Ready for QA Ready for code review In development Ready for development Selected for refinement Validated Waiting for approval
22. Buffer Handover Supply Decision 22 Photo by Leon on Unsplash Product backlog In analysis Ready for refinement Live Ready for deployment In QA Ready for QA Ready for code review In development Ready for development Selected for refinement Validated Waiting for approval
23. 23 flow efficiency ≈ 22,5 % flow efficiency ≈ 2,5 % Photo by Leon on Unsplash
24. Personal note #2 Along a (complete) value chain, a single-digit flow efficiency is the rule rather than the exception. 24 Photo by tito pixel on Unsplash
26. “How can we possibly go faster? We are already working overtime!” Part II Perspectives 26 Photo by Jackson Simmer on Unsplash
27. Less slowly More 27 Photo by Luis Villasmil | Bill Jelen | Magda V on Unsplash Faster
28. 28 What does the term “faster” mean in your organisation ? A glimpse into your world Reduce touch time Work harder or longer Reduce wait time Survey A C B D Nothing, or something different Photo by almoond on Thinkstock
30. Personal note #3 Reducing wait time is a more effective lever towards short lead time than reducing touch time. 30 Photo by tito pixel on Unsplash
31. How can I reduce my lead time if I only care about myself? How can we both reduce lead time for the two of us if we both care only about the two of us? How can we all reduce lead time for all of us if we all care only about all of us? 31 Individual ch ain Va lue Inter action Photo by Volodymyr Hryshchenko on Unsplash
32. Individual Interaction Value chain 32 Photo by Bill Jelen | Magda V on Unsplash
33. Individual Work sloppily Increase competence Focus on necessities Increase degree of automation Interaction Value chain 33 Photo by Bill Jelen | Magda V on Unsplash
34. Individual Work sloppily Increase competence Focus on necessities Increase degree of automation Interaction Work thoroughly Value chain 34 Photo by Bill Jelen | Magda V on Unsplash
35. Individual Work sloppily Increase competence Focus on necessities Focus on one thing at a time (limit) Increase degree of automation Speed up hardware and infrastructure Interaction Work thoroughly Value chain 35 Photo by Bill Jelen | Magda V on Unsplash
36. Individual Work sloppily Increase competence Focus on necessities Focus on one thing at a time (limit) Increase degree of automation Speed up hardware and infrastructure Interaction Work thoroughly Work in pairs Focus on one thing at a time (locally) Coordinate collaboration Value chain 36 Photo by Bill Jelen | Magda V on Unsplash
37. Individual Work sloppily Increase competence Focus on necessities Focus on one thing at a time (limit) Increase degree of automation Speed up hardware and infrastructure Interaction Work thoroughly Work in pairs Focus on one thing at a time (locally) Coordinate collaboration Value chain Work as an ensemble Focus on one thing at a time (globally) Coordinate collaboration 37 Photo by Bill Jelen | Magda V on Unsplash
38. Personal note #4 A value chain focus opens up more effective actionable options for reducing lead time than a focus on individuals. 38 Photo by tito pixel on Unsplash
39. 39 Which of these perspectives gets the most attention in your organisation ? A glimpse into your world Individual Interaction Value chain Survey A C B D None of the above, or another Photo by almoond on Thinkstock
41. Personal note #5 A focus on touch time tends to put an individual in the spotlight, while a focus on wait time tends to put a value chain in the spotlight. 41 Photo by tito pixel on Unsplash
43. “This is all well and good, but what do we get out of it?” Part III Context 43 Photo by Jackson Simmer on Unsplash
44. “We need to go faster!” 44 Photo by William Warby on Unsplash
45. “We need to go faster!” “How fast are we going right now?” 45 Photo by William Warby on Unsplash
46. 46 “We need to go faster!” “How fast are we going right now?” “What’s currently slowing us down?” Photo by William Warby on Unsplash
47. 47 “We need to go faster!” “How fast are we going right now?” “What’s currently slowing us down?” Photo by William Warby on Unsplash
48. 48 “We need to go faster!” “How fast are we going right now?” “What’s currently slowing us down?” “How does our speed change over time?” Photo by William Warby on Unsplash
49. 49 “We need to go faster!” “How fast are we going right now?” “What’s currently slowing us down?” “How does our speed change over time?” Photo by William Warby on Unsplash
50. Reducing wait time is a more effective lever towards short lead time than reducing touch time. A focus on touch time tends to put an individual in the spotlight, while a focus on wait time tends to put a value chain in the spotlight. Visualise touch time and wait time Focus on (and address) wait time in a value chain Measure speed within your value chain(s) 50 Photo by tito pixel on Unsplash