Soma and Orod have just released another episode of Kanban Lab, where we tackle another common Kanban myth: "Kanban has no metrics."

In this episode, we dive into Kanban's scientific, hypothesis-driven, and evolutionary change method, exploring how metrics play a crucial role in supporting continuous improvement. We also review some of the key metrics and their benefits, showing how Kanban empowers teams with data to drive smarter decisions.

In the latest episode of Kanban Lab, someone asks Soma, "What should I do when we have a backlog of work with hard deadlines?" Orod and Soma discuss Kanban’s Classes of Service, focusing on the Fixed Date class to help prioritize time-sensitive tasks. They also dive into the Lead-Time Distribution Chart, explaining how it helps teams understand when to start work to ensure it's completed on time. Tune in to learn how to manage deadline-driven work and deliver with confidence using Kanban!

It's a frequent challenge for large organisations with multiple teams collaborating on extensive projects to strategise on a quarterly basis. Many assert that Kanban isn't suitable for such planning endeavours.

In this episode, Soma and Orod delve into this contentious issue. Orod shares his firsthand success story illustrating how the Kanban Method effectively facilitates teams and organisations in navigating quarterly planning.

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.

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.

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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.

In this episode of Kanban Lab, Orod and Soma explore how the STATIK (Systems Thinking Approach to Introducing Kanban) method can be applied to create a meaningful team working agreement. They explain how STATIK encourages teams to focus on identifying the right problems first, agree on how to address them, and consider their impact on other teams; STATIK helps teams consider their impact on other teams, identify constraints, and align on shared expectations. STATIK fosters stronger collaboration and continuous improvement. Tune in to learn how you can leverage STATIK to build stronger, more effective teams!

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.

Many people see a Kanban workflow and think it's just like Waterfall, believing it doesn't improve agility.

In this episode, Soma and Orod explain how Kanban workflows actually represent a series of knowledge discovery activities that visualize how work flows through a system (whether in an organization or team). They discuss how Kanban highlights where work gets stuck or remains in progress, helping teams identify bottlenecks. Additionally, they dive into the Kanban pull system, which is fundamentally different from the phase-gate approach used in Waterfall.

Last week, Orod noticed a viral post claiming that Kanban isn't an Agile framework.

In this episode, Orod and Soma chat about whether Kanban is genuinely an Agile framework, and if this difference really matters.

Soma had a thoughtful talk with his husband about making policies (rules) for their team, especially since they're new to the Kanban method. In their talk, Orod and Soma focused on an important part of Kanban: making policies explicit. They talked about making policies that matter based on their own experiences. This talk is helpful for leaders, coaches, and managers who want to guide their teams well. Orod and Soma gave practical advice. They said that policies should be short and clear to help teams. They also talked about the team all agreeing on the policies. When everyone understands and agrees on the policies, the team can work well together and succeed.

In a recent conversation, someone asked Soma about using Kanban alongside Scrum. In discussion with Orod, they explored how incorporating Kanban practices can enhance Scrum. They highlighted how Kanban board are now becoming integral to Scrum teams, fostering better efficiency and collaboration. Drawing from their own experiences, they shared practical advice on implementing these combined approaches effectively. Follow Kanban Lab on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kanban-lab/ Orod Semsarzadeh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/orod-semsarzadeh/ Soma Mazumder: https://www.linkedin.com/in/soma-mazumder/

Empowering Agile Coaches through Continuous Learning and Kanban Mastery
In the world of Agile coaching, the pursuit of knowledge and continuous improvement is essential for staying ahead of the game. However, it's not uncommon to encounter coaches who may be hesitant to explore Kanban, often under the assumption that they already possess a solid understanding of it.
In this episode, Orod and Soma delve into their own transformative experiences. We share our journeys of discovering Kanban, which ultimately led them to a profound realization - there was much more to Kanban than they initially thought.
We highly recommend Kanban University and Kanban Zone which provide top-notch educational content and support for aspiring Kanban practitioners. Additionally, the Kanban book by David J Anderson is a reputable source that has helped countless individuals deepen their understanding of Kanban.

Teams and organizations often fall into the trap of committing to deliver customer requests immediately without conducting proper analysis. As a result, they face long lead times and spend more than anticipated. In our recent episode, Some and Orod had an enlightening conversation with Andre Suman Pereira about Upstream Kanban. We explored the concept and how it can address these issues effectively. Additionally, we delved into the importance of Customer Lead Time and learned how to calculate it. By implementing Upstream Kanban and understanding Customer Lead Time, teams can streamline their processes and deliver better results without unnecessary delays or overspending. Please see Andre Upstream Kanban Map: https://andresuman.com/upstream-kanban-picture/

Many people have told Soma that they use Scrumban, which they believe is a framework that combines Scrum and Kanban practices.

In this episode, Orod and Soma discuss Scrumban. They explore the origins of Scrumban, its name coined by Corey Ladas, and why it was initially called Scrumban. They highlight that Scrumban represents an evolutionary journey starting from the implementation of Scrum, and gradually transitioning into a complete Kanban system.

The main lesson from this episode is that Scrumban is a continuous journey rather than a final destination.

Watch Corey Ladas video here https://vimeo.com/88885445

A lot of people told Orod that Kanban is just a simple board and there's nothing more to it.

But in this episode, Orod and Soma explain that the Kanban board is actually quite different. It's not just a regular board, but a big wall filled with cards. The purpose of the Kanban board is to let you know when you should start working on a task based on the availability of resources.

The Kanban board is like a storyteller. It uses visualization, which is a powerful way to understand and process information. Designing Kanban systems aims to provide us with enough information about the system, so we can optimize and improve it.

Organisations often misunderstand the Pull System, mistakenly believing that it grants team members the freedom to choose any work they desire or feel most comfortable with.

In this episode, Soma and Orod discuss the "Pull System" and designing a Kanban system for effective signalling. They emphasise the importance of "Managing the work, not workers," a key Kanban principle and clarify that empowering the team doesn't mean team members can self-select tasks arbitrarily, they should collaborate and pull the appropriate work based on its "Cost of Delay" to ensure timely delivery that aligns with business and customer needs.

It's quite common for teams to mistakenly assume that they are practising Kanban simply because they have a visual representation of their work on a big wall.

In this episode, Soma and Orod delved into the true essence of Kanban. They revisited the definition and meaning of Kanban, which is derived from the Japanese word for "signal." Kanban serves as a signal that indicates the available capacity and signifies readiness to pull the next work item. Merely having a board without this signalling mechanism does not qualify as a Kanban board; it is merely a wall with numerous cards.

During the discussion, we explored the significance of two key Kanban practices: limiting work in progress and visualizing the workflow. By implementing these practices effectively, teams can create the necessary signals that indicate capacity and readiness for new work. As a coach, you play a crucial role in supporting teams as they gradually evolve and transform into true practitioners of Kanban.

Soma expressed her recurring encounter with individuals stating that Scrum doesn't work and let's do Kanban.

In this enlightening episode, we delved into the realm of Kanban's evolutionary change management and explored how its principles and practices can significantly enhance team and organisational workflow, regardless of their existing framework. Unlike prescriptive frameworks, Kanban empowers teams to improve their systems over time continually. We also highlighted the symbiotic relationship between Scrum and Kanban, with the Kanban board emerging as an indispensable tool for Scrum teams, or "make policies explicit" —a practice commonly embraced by numerous teams as a form of social or working agreement. Orod emphasised the importance of recognising the complexities inherent in people before implementing any changes, focusing on identifying the problem that you want to solve, and ensuring that our systems work for us rather than the other way around.

In this episode, Orod shares a conversation with a senior manager who suggested that showing the Kanban board is enough for training. Orod and Soma discuss why not every board is a Kanban board and explain how a true Kanban board should send signals about team capacity, enabling a pull system that aligns both the team and the organisation.

In this episode, Orod addresses a common misconception among his Kanban students who believe that Kanban is only suitable for operations and not for projects.

We emphasise that Kanban is a versatile method that can effectively manage both knowledge work in operations and projects. By examining the origins of this misconception, We provide insights into its underlying causes. Additionally, Orod presents a compelling case study wherein he successfully introduced Kanban to a project team with no historical data, enabling them to deliver a new project within a tight deadline. Throughout the episode, we highlight the customer-centric approach of Kanban, reinforcing its applicability to various domains.

During a recent conversation with a Delivery Manager, Soma heard that the delivery team is complaining about having too many meetings, and they want to move to Kanban because Kanban has no meetings.

In this episode, we delved into one of the essential practices of Kanban, which is "implementing feedback loops". We explored how Kanban identifies feedback loop opportunities known as "Cadences" and how they are utilized to enhance the system's flow and predictability without adding any unnecessary overhead or distractions for the team. We also discussed two distinct types of Kanban cadences, namely meetings and reviews, and their respective purposes.

While speaking with a product manager, Orod observed her desire to establish a standardized workflow throughout the entire organization.

In this episode, we delved into the concept of workflow and how Kanban views work as a continuous flow, from the moment a customer demands something until that need is fulfilled. We also examined key considerations for designing an effective workflow and discussed whether standardizing workflows is a sound approach.

Watch "Look at WORK through Kanban lens" by Andy Carmichael

During a recent conversation with an Agile coach, Soma heard that Kanban might not be the best approach for teams with low maturity because it's less structured.

In this episode, we explored one of the key practices of Kanban, "Make Policies Explicit," and discussed how it could benefit teams and organisations depending on their level of maturity. We shared our own experiences and acknowledged that there may be challenges for teams when they attempt to collaboratively decide on how they want to work together.

Recently, Soma spoke with a product manager who believed that Kanban doesn't support estimation and, therefore, roadmaps can't be created.

In this episode, Orod and Soma clarify this misconception. They explain that Kanban neither prescribes nor prohibits estimation. In fact, by using the Lead Time Distribution Chart (histogram) and categorising different work items, teams and companies can effectively prioritise tasks and create a roadmap if desired.

Join our hosts Orod and Soma as they sit down with Daniel Ploeg, a well-known figure in the Australian Kanban community, for an insightful conversation on scaling Kanban. Dan shares his experiences and emphasises the importance of starting with what you have. Whether you're just beginning your Kanban journey or looking to scale, this episode is packed with valuable takeaways.

Daniel, a Kanban pioneer in Australia, is the director of Evogility, a Kanban coach, and the chair of the Kanban Australia Conference. With over 20 years of experience in Agile and Lean software and product development, Daniel focuses on enhancing team capabilities and systems to unlock an organisation's potential.

Have you ever heard someone say that Kanban has roles like 'Flow Manager'? In this episode, Soma and Orod discuss another common myth about Kanban: that it has prescribed roles and responsibilities. They clarify why Kanban doesn't have any predefined roles and explore real-life scenarios and lessons learned from them.

In this episode, Soma and Orod discuss about another Kanban Myth, whether Kanban can deliver results within a two-week timeframe. Drawing from their own experiences, they explore how Kanban operates with SLAs and compare this to the two-week time-boxed events in Scrum.4o

A common concern that people has is that Kanban does not have a commitment point!

In this episode, Orod and Soma clarified that not only Kanban has a commitment point, but also this a crucial element in designing an effective Kanban System.

🎙️ In this episode of Kanban Lab, Soma and Orod tackle another common myth: that Kanban isn’t disciplined because it lacks planning.

They explain how Kanban actually promotes continuous, thoughtful planning through regular and on-demand replenishment. Work is pulled when the team has capacity and when customer demand is ready. They also explore the role of the upstream process in improving clarity and readiness before commitment.

💬 Have you used upstream Kanban or on-demand planning in your team? Share your experience in the comments!

This week, Soma and Orod unpack a common myth: Kanban doesn’t support change.In reality, change is at the heart of Kanban. In this episode, they explore how Kanban takes an evolutionary approach to change, introducing improvements gradually, guided by problems, dissatisfaction (STATIK), and data-driven decisions to track progress over time.Tune in to learn how Kanban helps you build sustainable change, step by step.

This week on Kanban Lab, Soma and Orod explore the real value of having a clear workflow. Orod shares a recent client story that highlights how even a simple workflow can improve visibility, reduce overhead, boost collaboration, and help teams focus on what really matters.

If you're still using task lists to track progress, this episode might change the way you think about flow.

In this episode, Soma and Orod bust another common myth: Kanban doesn’t work for large teams.They share real examples of using Kanban with teams of 20+ people and explain how Kanban doesn’t prescribe team size. Instead, it helps you see problems and use its principles to improve collaboration, flow, and outcomes—no matter the team size.Have you used Kanban with a large team? Share your experience in the comments!

Many teams track progress using tasks, but is that the best approach?

In this episode, Soma and Orod discuss how workflows helped one of Orod’s clients track progress more effectively. They explore the benefits of a simple workflow—reducing admin work, improving collaboration, identifying bottlenecks, and ultimately enhancing flow and customer satisfaction. 📌 How does your team track progress? Share your thoughts in the comments! #Kanban #Workflow #Agility #KanbanLabPodcast

Many believe Kanban only works for teams with a stable workflow, but is that true? In this episode, Soma and Orod break down this misconception and explain that not all work has to follow the same workflow. They share insights on how to design a Kanban board that adapts to different types of work and changing conditions.

📌 How does your team handle unstable workflows? Share your experience in the comments!