How Kanban, the "start with what you do now" approach to change has always scaled, explained through its values and agendas.

1. Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale
Mike Burrows
@asplake
@kanbanInside
mike@djaa.com
positiveincline.com
meldstrong.com
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

2. Kanban is the humane,
“start with what you do now”
approach to change
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

3. Kanban has always scaled
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

4. Kanban has always scaled
“For your technology business” [1]
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

5. Kanban has always scaled
But how?
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

6. Exercise: Kanban’s Value System [2]
(the quick version)
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

7. Foundational Principles
•
: Start with what you do now
•
: Agree to pursue evolutionary change
•
: Initially, respect existing roles,
responsibilities and job titles
•
: Encourage acts of leadership at
all levels in your organization –
from individual contributors to
senior management
customer focus|agreement|collaboration|flow|leadership
transparency|understanding|respect|balance
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

8. Foundational Principles
•
: Start with what you do now
•
: Agree to pursue evolutionary change
•
: Initially, respect existing roles,
responsibilities and job titles
•
leadership
: Encourage acts of leadership at
all levels in your organization –
from individual contributors to
senior management
customer focus|agreement|collaboration|flow|leadership
transparency|understanding|respect|balance
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

9. Foundational Principles
•
: Start with what you do now
•
: Agree to pursue evolutionary change
•
respect: Initially, respect existing roles,
responsibilities and job titles
•
leadership
: Encourage acts of leadership at
all levels in your organization –
from individual contributors to
senior management
customer focus|agreement|collaboration|flow|leadership
transparency|understanding|respect|balance
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

10. Foundational Principles
•
: Start with what you do now
•
agreement
: Agree to pursue evolutionary change
•
respect: Initially, respect existing roles,
responsibilities and job titles
•
leadership
: Encourage acts of leadership at
all levels in your organization –
from individual contributors to
senior management
customer focus|agreement|collaboration|flow|leadership
transparency|understanding|respect|balance
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

11. Foundational Principles
• understanding
: Start with what you do now
•
•
agreement
: Agree to pursue evolutionary change
respect: Initially, respect existing roles,
responsibilities and job titles
•
leadership
: Encourage acts of leadership at
all levels in your organization –
from individual contributors to
senior management
customer focus|agreement|collaboration|flow|leadership
transparency|understanding|respect|balance
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

12. Core Practices
•
•
•
NB: 1 value
appears 3 times!
: Visualize
: Limit work-in-progress (WIP)
,
: Manage flow
•
: Make policies explicit
•
: Implement feedback loops
•
: Improve collaboratively,
evolve experimentally (…)
customer focus|agreement|collaboration|flow|leadership
transparency|understanding|respect|balance
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

13. Core Practices
•
•
•
NB: 1 value
appears 3 times!
: Visualize
: Limit work-in-progress (WIP)
,
: Manage flow
•
: Make policies explicit
•
: Implement feedback loops
•
collaboratio
: Improve collaboratively,
n
evolve experimentally (…)
customer focus|agreement|collaboration|flow|leadership
transparency|understanding|respect|balance
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

14. Core Practices
•
•
•
•
NB: 1 value
appears 3 times!
: Visualize
: Limit work-in-progress (WIP)
,
: Manage flow
: Make policies explicit
•
: Implement feedback loops
transparency
•
collaboratio
: Improve collaboratively,
n
evolve experimentally (…)
customer focus|agreement|collaboration|flow|leadership
transparency|understanding|respect|balance
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

15. Core Practices
•
•
•
NB: 1 value
appears 3 times!
: Visualize
: Limit work-in-progress (WIP)
,
: Manage flow
•
: Make policies explicit
transparency
•
: Implement feedback loops
transparency
•
collaboratio
: Improve collaboratively,
n
evolve experimentally (…)
customer focus|agreement|collaboration|flow|leadership
transparency|understanding|respect|balance
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

16. Core Practices
•
•
•
NB: 1 value
appears 3 times!
: Visualize
transparency
: Limit work-in-progress (WIP)
,
: Manage flow
•
: Make policies explicit
transparency
•
: Implement feedback loops
transparency
•
collaboratio
: Improve collaboratively,
n
evolve experimentally (…)
customer focus|agreement|collaboration|flow|leadership
transparency|understanding|respect|balance
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

17. Core Practices
•
•
•
: Visualize
transparency
: Limit work-in-progress (WIP)
,
: flow
Manage flow
•
: Make policies explicit
transparency
•
: Implement feedback loops
transparency
•
collaboratio
: Improve collaboratively,
n
evolve experimentally (…)
customer focus|agreement|collaboration|flow|leadership
transparency|understanding|respect|balance
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

18. Core Practices
•
•
: Visualize
transparency
: Limit work-in-progress (WIP)
•
: flow
Manage flow
customer ,
focus
: Make policies explicit
transparency
•
: Implement feedback loops
transparency
•
collaboratio
: Improve collaboratively,
n
evolve experimentally (…)
•
customer focus|agreement|collaboration|flow|leadership
transparency|understanding|respect|balance
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

19. Core Practices
•
•
: Visualize
transparency
balance : Limit work-in-progress (WIP)
•
: flow
Manage flow
customer ,
focus
: Make policies explicit
transparency
•
: Implement feedback loops
transparency
•
collaboratio
: Improve collaboratively,
n
evolve experimentally (…)
•
customer focus|agreement|collaboration|flow|leadership
transparency|understanding|respect|balance
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

20. Reflection
Of the 9, which 3 most strongly
• resonate with you personally?
• speak into your work situation?
Customer focus – Agreement –
Collaboration Flow – Leadership –
Transparency
Understanding – Respect – Balance
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

21. Follow up
• With your colleagues, the long version:
bit.ly/kanban-values-exercise
• Choose 3 values for your profile on
meldstrong.com
Customer focus – Agreement –
Collaboration Flow – Leadership –
Transparency
Understanding – Respect – Balance
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

22. Nine values, three agendas
Sustainability
A1
Survivability
 understanding
 agreement
 respect
A2
 transparency
 balance
 collaboration
A3
Service Orientation
 customer focus
 flow
 leadership
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

23. A1 A2 A3
Sustainability
A1
 transparency
 balance
 collaboration
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

24. •
•
•
A1 A2 A3 transparency
Organize the work, let people self-organize
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

25. •
•
•
A1 A2 A3 transparency
Capture learning – visually & in polices
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

26. •
•
•
A1 A2 A3 transparency
Feedback loops in & around the process
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

27. •
•
•
A1 A2 A3 balance
4
Pull systems balance workload with capacity
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

28. •
•
•
A1 A2 A3 balance
4
Pull systems balance workload with capacity
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

29. •
•
•
A1 A2 A3 balance
4
Pull systems balance workload with capacity
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

30. •
•
•
A1 A2 A3 balance
Seek balance of other kinds
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

31. •
•
•
A1 A2 A3 collaboration
creative relationships
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

32. •
•
•
A1 A2 A3 collaboration
the means to solve problems…
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

33. •
•
•
A1 A2 A3 collaboration
…and an improvement focus
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

34. •
•
•
A1 A2 A3 collaboration
Models Internal
How
things
work
✔
How to
change
them
✔
External
Plan
✔
Act
✔
Do
Check
“…using models and the scientific method”
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

35. A1 A2 A3
Sustainability
A1
 transparency
 balance
 collaboration
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

36. A1 A2 A3
Sustainability
A1
 transparency
 balance
 collaboration
And at scale?
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

37. A1 A2 A3
Sustainability
A1
A2
 transparency
 balance
 collaboration
Service Orientation
 customer focus
 flow
 leadership
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

38. A1 A2 A3 The Kanban lens
A way to view what you do now:
• Creative work is service-oriented
• Service delivery involves workflow
• Workflow involves a series of
knowledge discovery activities
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

39. A1 A2 A3
Services, workflow,
knowledge discovery
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

40. A1 A2 A3
Q1: How can we better
anticipate customer
needs?
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

41. A1 A2 A3
Q2: How soon will we
know that we have met a
customer need?
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

42. A1 A2 A3
Collaboration through
T-shaped leadership [6]
Within
Across
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

43. Leadership at every level
A1 A2 A3
Across
Within
Across
Within
Within
Across
Across
Across
Within
Within
Within
Across
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

44. A1 A2 A3
Leadership at every level
– Small acts of leadership [7]
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

45. A1 A2 A3
Sustainability
A1
A2
 transparency
 balance
 collaboration
Service Orientation
 customer focus
 flow
 leadership
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

46. A1 A2 A3
Sustainability
A1
Survivability
 understanding
 agreement
 respect
A2
 transparency
 balance
 collaboration
A3
Service Orientation
 customer focus
 flow
 leadership
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

47. A1 A2 A3 Patterns of
unsafe change
• bravado [3]
• complacency [4]
• tampering [5]
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

48. A1 A2 A3 Patterns of
unsafe change
• bravado – too fast
• complacency – too slow
• tampering - too random
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

49. A1 A2 A3 The J-curve effect
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

50. A1 A2 A3 Small J’s, iterated
Fitness
Time
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

51. A1 A2 A3 Small J’s, iterated
Fitness
Q3: How can we bring
opportunities for positive
change to the surface?
Time
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

52. A1 A2 A3
Survivability & the
leadership disciplines of
evolutionary change
Survivability
 understanding
 agreement
 respect
A3
Further reading: bit.ly/kanban-infoq-series
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

53. Kanban is the humane,“start with what
you do now” approach to change…
Sustainability
A1
Survivability
 understanding
 agreement
 respect
A2
 transparency
 balance
 collaboration
A3
Service Orientation
 customer focus
 flow
 leadership
…that scales!
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

54. References
[1] Kanban, Anderson http://www.amazon.com/Kanban-Successful-Evolutionary-TechnologyBusiness/dp/0984521402/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1364387272&sr=1-1
[2] Introducing Kanban through its values http://positiveincline.com/index.php/2013/01/introducingkanban-through-its-values/
[3] Good to Great, Collins http://www.amazon.com/Good-Great-Companies-LeapOthers/dp/0066620996/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1364387591&sr=1-1
[4] Systems Thinking for Curious Managers, Ackoff et al http://www.amazon.com/Systems-ThinkingCurious-Managers-Management/dp/0956263151/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392822302&sr=8-1
[5] Out of the Crisis, Deming http://www.amazon.com/Out-Crisis-W-EdwardsDeming/dp/0262541157/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1364387455&sr=1-1
[6] Collaboration: How Leaders Avoid the Traps, Build Common Ground, and Reap Big Results, Hansen
http://www.amazon.com/Collaboration-Leaders-Common-GroundResults/dp/1422115151/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392822798&sr=8-1
[7] Small acts of leadership
http://positiveincline.com/index.php/2013/06/small-acts-of-leadership/
Also:
[8] The Culture Game: Tools for the Agile Manager, Mezick http://www.amazon.com/Culture-GameTools-Agile-Manager/dp/0984875301/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1364387632&sr=1-1
[9] Tribal Leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization, Logan
http://www.amazon.com/Tribal-Leadership-Leveraging-ThrivingOrganization/dp/0061251321/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1364387685&sr=1-1
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

55. Thank you
Special thanks to:
Jabe Bloom, Patrick Steyaert, Matthias Jouan, David J Anderson, Dave White,
Arne Roock, Bernd Schiffer, Dimitar Bakardzhiev, Greg Brougham,
Hermanni Hyytiälä, Janice Linden-Reed, Chris Chan, Zsolt Fabok, Corinna Baldauf,
Andy Carmichael, Alex Fedtke, Tom Cagley, Rob Ferguson, Yuval Yeret,
Joseph Hurtado, John Miller, Kurt Häusler, Matthias Bohlen, Rodolfo Moeller,
Karl Scotland, Mattias Skarin, Alan Shalloway, Pierre Nies, Fred Engel,
David Shrimpton, Björn Tikkanen, Simon Thomas, Simon Marcus, Marco Melas,
Jon Terry, Maria Alfredéen, Torbjörn Gyllebring, Shridhar Lolla, Jim Sutton,
Stephen Parry, Klaus Leopold, Sigi Kaltenecker, Gaetano Mazzanti,
Ben Linders, Luke Hohmann, Ellen Grove
Photos:
Slides3, 25, 27: David J. Anderson & Associates Inc
Slide 33: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lennon-McCartney.JPG
Slide 34: http://www.nobelweekdialogue.org/?attachment_id=364
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014

56. Kanban is the humane,“start with what
you do now” approach to change…
Sustainability
A1
Survivability
 understanding
 agreement
 respect
A2
 transparency
 balance
 collaboration
A3
Service Orientation
 customer focus
 flow
 leadership
…that scales!
Kanban through its values:
agendas & change at scale @asplake #AgileIndia2014