By Dominica DeGrandis
It is fun to discover articles sprinkled with Kanban properties, even though they don’t specifically mention Kanban. I stumbled across several good ones this week.
Having worked for their competitor for many years, I find this list of principles from Getty Images very interesting. They flow, they pull, they stop the line, they optimize the whole, etc… It sounds too good to be true. http://blog.gettyimages.com/2012/01/17/from-our-lean-and-agile-dev-team/
Disclosure - this article isn’t really about Kanban, but “What’s in Store for 2012: A Few Predictions” offers all around good insights for us. In particular, the value of software will continue to decline as open source contributions continues to rise and bring an overload of choices – perhaps too many. http://redmonk.com/sogrady/2012/01/13/2012-predictions/
Kanban for IT Services & Operations - Orange County, CA Jan 26-27, 2012
David J. Anderson’s
An Official “Kanban - Successful Evolutionary Change for Your Technology Business” Class
with Dominica DeGrandis (instructor)
Kanban is a framework for changing, for improving, the way an organization works together. If ever-more frequent deliveries from software development are increasing pressure on your teams and creating bottlenecks in the delivery process, look at Kanban to extend agility and balance to IT services and operations teams.
This 2-day Kanban training class uses an interactive teaching method to help students gain an understanding of Kanban Pull Systems and how to apply them to IT services and Operations. Working in small teams, class attendees will analyze and design a kanban system implementation.
Based on David J. Anderson’s book “Kanban - Successful Evolutionary Change for Your Technology Business”, attendees of the class will receive a copy of the book.
Because the value of software is achieved only after being deployed to production, the class begins by studying and mapping the workflow across your organization. You’ll learn how to improve predictability and therefore increase customer satisfaction. You’ll learn how to use policies to manage risk and to reset negotiations and recast them as collaborative problem solving.
Used effectively, Kanban will change you and your organization. If your workplace has been stagnating and you are looking for new ideas to handle increasing complexity around software delivery and support, take 2 days and come along.
What you will learn
Day 1
Kanban Mechanics
- Demand Analysis
- Workflow Mapping
- Visualization
- Work Item Types
- WIP Limits
- Classes of Service
- Kanban Simulation Game customized for operations
Day 2
Kanban Progression
- Kanban System design
- Operations Review
- Case Studies
- Service Level Agreements (SLA)
- Variability and predictability
- How to Get Started with Kanban
- Economic Cost Model for Lean
- Metrics
About the presenter
Dominica specializes in Kanban for IT Services and Operations - with teams interacting with software development. She spent her first 15 years in software engineering deeply embedded in Development teams performing builds, deployments and environment maintenance. She has worked in organizations of all sizes, from the US Army, Boeing, and AT&T to small start-ups. Dominica first worked for David Anderson at Corbis in 2006 where she helped deliver the first implementation of Kanban for software engineering in the US. Adept at leading teams performing Configuration Management and Release Management, Dominica found a passion for improving the way development and operations teams work together.
Is this for you?
If you would like to learn how Kanban, Pull Systems and Lean, can provide a useful perspective for improving work done on the periphery of software engineering and you are performing IT Services or Operations, this class is for you. From data administrative services to deployment/release managers to help desk, this class covers beginning to intermediate level material.
Location:
Newport beach, CA, USA
Venue:
Fashion Island
451 Newport Center Dr.
Newport Beach, CA 92660
My book reading demand is higher than my capability to read them all (too much book reading WIP),
so I love it when other people read and summarize books.
This week, we look at some new practical books and writings.
News
Troy Magennis (@t_magennis) published a new book, “Forecasting and Simulating Software Development Projects”.
It describes optimal WIP limits using Monti-carlo simulation for a board and a backlog of work.
Chapter 2 (Example Modeling Scenario) is currently free. Beta simulation software is available.
Send feedback to @AgileSimulation. http://www.focusedobjective.com/books-and-publications
Joe Dager (@business901) summarized Terri Griffith’s new book, The Plugged-In Manager .
“She discusses an evolution for managers, not a revolution.” Her 3 core practices are:
1. Stop-Look-Listen: What do your data say? What do you already know that will help you with this project?
2. Mixing: How do you balance your available resources?
3. Sharing: How can you achieve better results by integrating your choices with other team members? http://business901.com/blog1/are-your-managers-managing-technology-or/
With no videos recorded at the recent Lean Enterprise Software and Systems conference (#LESS2011), we look at some write-ups and summaries posted by attendees. We also take a look at some kanban board design discussions.
News
Hakan Forss’s summary of LESS2011 focused on two of the four main tracks (Complexity & Systems Thinking and Beyond Budgeting). It sounds like Carl Savage’s presentation on “Overcoming Education Inertia” was a winner. http://hakanforss.wordpress.com/tag/less2011/
Alan Shalloway posted his notes from his “Non-Linear Birds of a Feather” session at LESS2011. And, as a bonus he included definitions of the three “M” words: Mura (unevenness of work) causes muri (overburdening of workers) which causes muda (waste). http://www.netobjectives.com/blogs/LESS2011-birds-of-a-feather
That “Birds of a Feather” session led to a series of twitter exchanges regarding kanban board design which then generated some interesting discussions on the topic. http://blog.brodzinski.com/
Lean Software Systems Conference – Boston 2012
Registration for LSSC12 is open. Check it out. The Twitter hashtag is #lssc12 http://lssc12.leanssc.org/
Please contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) with questions.
In a twitter exchange of ideas about kanban board designs - primarily between Pawel Brodzinski and Jabe Bloom, concern was expressed that showing people other peoples’ designs can stifle creativity and cause harm.
Well, it depends. It depends upon the people, the project, the chemistry in the room, and other stuff. People have different learning styles. The creative people may want to start from scratch with their very own design. But the “I’ll know it when I see it” people appreciate the opportunity to learn from others to avoid reinventing the wheel.
I have found that it can be very helpful to show people a variety of board designs and let them judge for themselves how a given design may or may not apply to their work. People understand that these are just examples that have been uniquely tailored for someone else’s use and can be modified without limit. People take what they want and toss the rest.
Kanban’s board design system is a marvel of adaptability. I show many board examples both from development and IT services, as well as from operations. People understand that their ultimate designs are for them and for them alone. There is no standard. There is no best practice. Nothing is cast in concrete. Their designs are meant to be re-designed as their work changes.
Kanban board designs should be uniquely tailored for the current process in use. Board designs, in reality rarely stay the same. They are more likely to change – perhaps even tomorrow, from someone seeing something from another board that looks promising. Often, perhaps usually, it’s a big help to have a starting nudge from an example or two or ten kanban board designs.
