Stop Starting and Start Finishing:An introduction to Kanban

j.c.yip@computer.org, jcyip@thoughtworks.com

http://jchyip.blogspot.com@jchyip

Dramatic change is risky

Likelihood of gaining commitment

Need for large commitment

Disruption Collaborative approach

Dramatic change

Setup conditions for continuous improvement

Setup conditions for improvement

1. Visualise our workflow2. Limit our work-in-progress3. Measure our performance4. Improve

Show what is happening, not what should be happening

Performance is not just about time

• Productivity: cycle time, ROI• Quality: UAT defects, released defects, user

satisfaction• Cost: burn rate, cost per work item, overall

project cost• Morale: engagement, employee satisfaction

Standard Agile improvement tricks

• Daily stand-ups• Retrospectives

New improvement tricks

• Stop-the-line: free up the WIP limit• Quality circle: form a team to figure

something out• Operations review: regular meeting to analyse

past performance, outliers, etc.

Change != Improvement

Encourage self-forming improvement teams over scheduled improvement events

Core Properties of Kanban

• Visualise Workflow• Limit Work-In-Progress• Measure and Manage Flow• Make Process Policies Explicit• Use Models to Recognize Improvement

Opportunities

Emergent Properties of Kanban

• Prioritise Work by Cost of Delay• Optimise Value with Classes of Service• Spread Risk with Capacity Allocation• Encourage Process Innovation• Manage Quantitatively

Where to learn more

• http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/kanbandev/

• Books:– Kanban by David J. Anderson– Scrumban by Corey Ladas

• http://www.limitedwipsociety.org/• http://www.meetup.com/The-Sydney-Limited-

WIP-Society/

First steps?

• Share ideas and commitment for how to get started