3 Steps to Manage Unplanned Work in Scrum
If you’re like most of the Scrum teams I’m working with in our Sustainable Predictability program, you’re likely in a good flow, smoothly handling planned tasks with a steady rhythm. You set goals, plan for each sprint and get stuff…
Strategies for Risk Mitigation: How to Make Reliable Delivery Commitments
How can we make reliable delivery commitments when there is so much uncertainty that we have to deal with? How can we mitigate the risk of failure while managing realistic expectations? The secret lies in accepting that there is more…
How to Identify the One Problem You Should Focus On Right Now to Build Better Products Faster (In 3 Easy Steps!)
Are you struggling to make real progress in improving your processes? What if I told you there’s a straightforward three-step exercise that can help you identify the one obstacle holding you back? If you’re anything like me, you’d love a…
Frustrated by Unpredictable Cycle Times? Read This!
If you’re leading a team grappling with the unpredictable ebb and flow of delivery times, you’re most certainly in a mix of emotions – annoyance, impatience, disappointment. As the captain of this ship, your thoughts are a whirlwind. The stress…
The Real Cost of Multitasking: Why You Need to Take Action Immediately
Multitasking is a myth. It’s a myth because nearly everyone accepts it is an effective thing to do. It’s become so mainstream that people actually think it’s something they should do, and do as often as possible. I not only…
The Fundamental Mistake Most Teams Make When Visualizing Their Workflows (+ How to Avoid It)
How do you visualize your process on a board to set your team up for success and get the most out of your data? You might think: “Just create a few columns and add the names of your steps.” Sounds…
How to Reduce Cycle Time Variability through Right-Sizing
What does it take to deliver on your commitments? Do you need a team of people who are proficient in estimating how much time the work takes? Or perhaps, all of your items should be of the same size? Not…
The #1 Mistake You’re Making When Dealing with Urgent Requests in Kanban (And How to Fix It)
Imagine this: All of your servers go down. The impact is tremendous. With a complete outage, your entire business operations come to a screeching halt. The urgency to bring the systems back online becomes palpable, and the focus shifts entirely…
The 3 Service Delivery Principles in Kanban
With the Kanban Method, we perceive our businesses as ecosystems of interconnected services. Picture an organization as a network of services, even if they cross different parts of the company. This perception enables each service to grow and change independently…
How to Optimize Your Kanban Board Layout to Move Beyond Specialization
Where does the process of optimizing our Kanban board layout start? What, first and foremost, needs to happen to enable us to enhance collaboration, streamline workflows, and achieve better outcomes altogether? Ultimately, empowering effective Kanban board design begins with a…
5 Practical Tips for Interpreting Flow Metrics in the Cumulative Flow Diagram
Imagine this: You’re part of a dynamic software development team, always seeking ways to optimize your workflow and deliver exceptional results. Recently, you stumbled upon a powerful tool called the Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD), renowned for its ability to provide…
How to Visualize and Analyze Dependencies in Kanban
If you’ve ever found yourself struggling to manage dependencies, you’re in the right place my friend. We all know how they can impact timelines and costs! But, stick with me here because today, we’ll explore a simple yet powerful solution…
3 Challenges I Stumbled upon While Implementing WIP Limits with My Scrum Team
As we stepped into the beginning of 2018, I found myself leading a Scrum team for the first time, and let me tell you, I was absolutely determined to make it a resounding success. We had all the Agile principles…