Kanban Lab

The latest episode of our Kanban principles series has just been released on both Podcast and YouTube platforms. In the Kanban Method, we perceive organisations as dynamic entities, with the connections between its components constantly evolving over time, along with our policies and agreements. In this episode, Soma and Orod delve into the principle of 'Regularly reviewing the network and its policies to enhance outcomes', discussing its significance in driving overall improvement.

In traditional management, the emphasis lies on overseeing individuals, monitoring their activities, and frequently reassigning them, all with the aim of optimising their utilisation. However, it's widely recognized that mere busyness doesn't necessarily translate to increased productivity. In this episode, Soma and Orod delve into a pivotal principle of the Kanban Method: 'Manage the work; let people organize around it.' This principle directs attention towards the work itself, spanning from initial customer demand to its fulfillment. By concentrating on the work and closely monitoring its progress, teams can identify bottlenecks, root causes of delays, and devise strategies to facilitate smoother workflow.

In this episode Soma and Orod talked about the first Kanban Service Delivery Principles and this principle: - Who are your customers? - What are the desires and preferences of your customers? - When do they expect their needs to be met? - What standards of quality do they anticipate?

Tune in to the latest episode of Kanban Lab where Soma and Orod explore Kanban's third change management principle: encouraging leadership at all levels. They discuss how leadership extends beyond top-level roles, emphasising the importance of empowering every individual in an organisation to take ownership and drive change. Through real-world examples, they illustrate how distributed leadership can lead to improved agility and performance. They address common challenges and offer practical tips for implementing this principle effectively, emphasising the transformative potential of embracing leadership at all levels within the Kanban Method.

Tune in to the latest episode of Kanban Lab where Soma and Orod explore Kanban's third change management principle: encouraging leadership at all levels. They discuss how leadership extends beyond top-level roles, emphasising the importance of empowering every individual in an organisation to take ownership and drive change. Through real-world examples, they illustrate how distributed leadership can lead to improved agility and performance. They address common challenges and offer practical tips for implementing this principle effectively, emphasising the transformative potential of embracing leadership at all levels within the Kanban Method.

In this episode, Orod and Soma deep dive into the second principle of Change management, which says, "Gain agreement to pursue improvement through evolutionary change," emphasizes the importance of obtaining consensus among the team members and stakeholders regarding the need for continuous improvement through incremental changes rather than radical transformations. In essence, this principle suggests that teams should foster a culture where everyone agrees on the value of making small, continuous improvements over time instead of imposing sweeping changes or initiatives. This approach is aligned with the core philosophy of Kanban, which advocates for evolutionary change based on feedback and empirical evidence. By gaining agreement from all involved parties, teams can ensure that everyone is on board with the proposed improvements and understands their significance. This alignment fosters collaboration, encourages engagement, and minimizes resistance to change, ultimately leading to more successful and sustainable organisational improvements.

In the opening episode of our six-part series, Soma and Orod delve into the fundamental principles of Kanban Change Management and Kanban Service Delivery. We kick off by explaining the cornerstone principle: 'Start with what you do now.' Understanding the current process lays the groundwork for designing solutions that effectively address underlying issues. The essence of the Kanban Method lies in its non-prescriptive approach; rather than dictating change, it encourages the evolution of existing processes.

In this episode of Kanban Lab, where our dynamic hosts, Soma Mazumder and Orod Semsarzadeh, dive deep into the world of Lead Time and its transformative impact on team performance, predictability, and customer satisfaction. 📈 Exploring Lead Time Distribution Charts: In this episode, our hosts will unravel the mysteries behind Lead Time Distribution charts. Gain insights into how these charts serve as invaluable tools for understanding the flow of work within your teams. 🚀 Leveraging Lead Time for Team Performance: Discover the secrets of utilising Lead Time metrics to supercharge your team's performance. Learn how to identify bottlenecks, streamline processes, and optimize workflows for maximum efficiency. 🔮 Lead Time Predictability: Soma and Orod will guide you through the fascinating realm of Lead Time predictability. Uncover strategies to enhance forecasting accuracy and make informed decisions that positively impact project timelines. 🌐 Improving Team Agility and Customer Satisfaction: Learn the art of harnessing Lead Time to boost team agility. Explore real-world examples of how reducing Lead Time can directly translate into increased customer satisfaction and building lasting relationships with your clients. Read more here

In this episode, join Orod and Soma as they delve into the pivotal realm of measuring team performance. Unravelling the mysteries surrounding this common query, our hosts spotlight Lead Time as the key metric in Kanban. Tune in to discover not only how to measure it effectively but also how leveraging Lead Time can propel organisations towards enhanced agility and improved customer satisfaction.

Many people perceive the Expedite swimlane as problematic, often labelling it as 'evil' due to its tendency to expedite everything. In this episode, Orod and Soma delve into the concept of Expedite, shedding light on how your system performs. If you've got too many rushed tasks, it means your system is pretty unstable. Just getting rid of the swimlane doesn't fix the issue; it just hides it.

People frequently ask about the ideal WIP limit, suggesting that one work per person is the standard. In this episode, Orod and Soma delve into the significance of WIP limits, how they can help improve the flow, and explore various approaches to determine the optimal number of works in progress.

It's common for work items to face obstacles for various reasons, and numerous individuals have suggested to Orod the idea of featuring these blocked items in a distinct column on the workflow. In this episode, Soma and Orod discuss visualising these blocked items effectively. To address and provide clarity on this matter, they revisit the fundamental definition of a workflow. A workflow illustrates the work progression through the system, with each column representing a stage in the knowledge discovery process. Now, the question arises: is "Blocked" one of these stages? Certainly not. Work can encounter obstacles at any stage of the workflow. "Blocked" serves as the status of the work, and the optimal approach to visualisation involves placing these blocked items in the respective stage where the obstruction occurred, enabling the tracking of the duration they remain blocked.

Most people know fundamental Kanban practices such as WIP limits, visualization, and managing flow. However, what remains less widespread is the recognition of Kanban as an evolutionary change methodology. In this episode, Orod and Soma engaged in an enlightening conversation with Anna Radzikowska, the Chief Innovation and Improvement Officer (CIIO) at Mauvius Group, the heart of the Kanban Method. Anna elaborated on the concept of KMM (Kanban Maturity Model), describing it as an organisational maturity assessment tool that empowers organisations to craft sustainable solutions for their challenges while progressively enhancing their agility over time.

In this episode, join Some and Orod as they engage in a thought-provoking conversation with the remarkable Mike Burrows, the visionary founder of Agendashift Academy and the author of "Kanban from the Inside." 📚 A true inspiration in Kanban training, Mike graciously shares his extensive knowledge and insights on Kanban, shedding light on the significance of fostering complexity-friendly environments. 🌐 Embark on a journey of discovery as they explore the complexity of navigating challenges inherent in a solution-driven mindset. 💡

Soma came across a LinkedIn post where someone asserted that Kanban is simply a scheduling system. In this episode, Orod and Soma delved into the question of whether Kanban is just a scheduling tool that serves as a reminder for project deadlines. They explore how Kanban goes beyond mere scheduling by delivering the right work to customers at the right time through visualising tasks with fixed deadlines, highlighting that it offers more than just a scheduling function.

During a recent conversation, someone told Orod their perception that Kanban is too difficult. In this episode, Soma and Orod delve into the reasons behind the common belief that Kanban is too complex. Orod underscores that, at times, we tend to overly complicate things, even something as straightforward as Kanban. In reality, Kanban can be as simple as visualising your tasks for personal use or as intricate as mapping out the entire value stream flow.

Kanban is often misunderstood as a method only focused on increasing people's utilisation, but this belief is just one of the misconceptions surrounding Kanban. In this episode, Soma and Orod delve into three essential Kanban practices: setting Work in Progress (WIP) limits, visualising work, and managing flow. Orod highlights that implementing WIP limits sure not to keep people constantly occupied but also allows for necessary slack time, which is crucial for optimizing and improving the system. They also shed light on how to measure flow efficiency and explain how the key Kanban metric, Lead Time, can help managers and individuals shift their focus towards outcomes rather than fixating on people's utilisation.

Are Story Points a crucial element in Kanban method? Join us on the latest episode of the Kanban Lab, where hosts Orod and Soma delve deep into the ongoing debate: "Does Kanban need Story Points?" In this episode, Soma revisits the definition of Story Points and the role they play in improving communication and alignment within a team when tackling tasks or goals. But that's not all! Orod offers an intriguing perspective from the Kanban lens. He emphasizes that in Kanban, a team has the flexibility to estimate task complexity using any unit of measure or even forget estimates entirely. It's all about what works best for your team's unique needs and context. If Story Points aren't your cup of tea, don't worry! Orod suggests a fascinating alternative approach that fits perfectly within the Kanban - the Lead Time distribution chart.

Last week, Chris asked Soma if teams and organizations could practice Kanban without using a Kanban board. In this episode, Orod and Soma discuss a fundamental Kanban practice: visualization. They emphasize that, depending on your situation, you don't always need intricate workflow stages displayed in separate columns. However, you should still visually represent the tasks on some form of a board. Orod also shares a creative and enjoyable approach he used to introduce Kanban to elementary students, helping them manage their tasks and stay focused.

Soma and Chris discussed the distinctions between Sprint planning and Kanban replenishment. In their conversation, Orod and Soma clarified that both Sprint planning and Kanban replenishment aim to commit to work and set expectations for customers. The key difference is that Sprint planning occurs at regular intervals, with the team selecting a batch of work and committing to them, while Kanban replenishment can occur more or less frequently based on your need.