value of flow

The Value of Flow

Presented by Dean Stevens

Dean.Stevens@Synaptus.com

Flow of Value

Vision Document

Analyze Design

Deliver Ready for Release

Feature

Feature

Analyze Queue

Analyze Design Queue

Design

Feature Feature Feature Feature Feature Feature

Feature Feature Feature Feature Feature

Airplane Game

Paper Airplane Game

• Team of 5 makes 20 airplanes

• 1st Run: Fast as you can

– WIP piles up

• 2nd Run: Flow

– Batch size of one

• Consistently better results

– Lead Time: 3X improvement

– Throughput: 10-20% better

– Lower stress

– Easier to manage

Improves Customer Lead Time

Makes Customers

Happy

The Value of Flow

Make Value FlowLittle’s Law

Lead Time = WIP / Throughput(time) = (items) / (items/time)

Where:

Lead Time: Time from start to finish

WIP: Work in Progress

Throughput: Average completion rate

Reduce WIP to improve Lead Time

Improves Throughput

Makes Business Happy

The Value of Flow

Avoid Traffic Jams

Requires Continuous Improvement

But, reducing WIP exposes hidden problems due to

– Complexity

– Delay

– Variability

Reduce WIP AND solve problems to

– Establish and improve predictable throughput

– Promote quality

Enables Focus

• Faster customer feedback

• Stop starting, start finishing

• Less overhead

Enables Quality

• Reducing rework from defects

• Getting faster quality feedback

Enables Fast Feedback

• Fast feedback reduces loss from bad outcomes

– Stop working on the wrong thing

• Fast feedback enables exploitation of good outcomes

– Avoid delays when you are doing the right thing

– Learn and innovate

• Fast feedback and progressive elaboration enable an iterative approach

Improves Work Environment

Makes Employees

Happy

The Value of Flow

Respect People

• Make value clear with Stories

• Self organizing teams

• “Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.”

Flow in Practice

The Value of Flow

Flow in Scrum

• Limit WIP? Stories in a sprint

• Improve Throughput? Retrospectives and improve velocity

• Respect for People? “Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.”

Kanban BoardSimple 2-Tier

Kanban BoardLeanKit Kanban with Swimlanes

Feature BoardVersionOne Epic Board

Questions & Comments?