The 5-Step Guideline for Managing Items of Different Sizes in Kanban
“Kanban doesn’t work for us because we don’t have items of the same size” – If I had a dollar for every time I heard this statement, I could afford to spend my time laying on the beach in the…
How to Move Past Customers Who Don’t Serve You Well
“I hate working with this client”, said one of the agency owners I’m consulting said to me the other day. “Being around them just drains us of energy. They make my teams feel miserable. This isn’t what I want for…
My Top 5 All-Time Favorite Nave Blog Posts
This article was super fun for me to create because I got to revisit my very favorite Nave blog posts – the ones that really struck a chord with me, and have stuck with me after all these years! Hey…
How to Reveal the Immediate Impact of Implementing WIP Limits
What is the ultimate goal behind implementing WIP limits? Usually, teams only start thinking about introducing this practice the moment they realize that their work has become unmanageable. Their boards are brimming with tasks, customer requests keep coming in, and…
Should You Remove Outliers from Your Data Set When Forecasting Your Delivery Times?
To toss or not to toss, that is the question. At least, it certainly is when it comes to outliers in your data. Is it okay to remove outliers from your data set? The other day, a client asked me:…
It’s Time to Deprecate Your Expedite Swimlane and Here Is Why
Having an Expedite swimlane as a default board configuration is a little-known mistake most managers make, which prevents them from building predictable workflows. Let’s talk about Expedites for a moment, shall we? What is an expedite? Imagine that, one day,…
Multitasking in Project Management: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Multitasking in project management can be disruptive in so many ways. From losing focus to incurring switching costs, delaying work, all the way down to hindering the predictability of your workflow. Even though it sounds counterintuitive, multitasking can also be…
Top 3 Management Don’ts to Avoid When Waiting for Customer Feedback
Do you have a “Waiting for customer feedback” column on your board? Does your work get stuck in there for days, even weeks, while your team is working hard to maintain predictable delivery results? If that’s the case, it’s probably…
Managers, Here’s How to Leverage Your Flow Metrics to Make More Effective Improvement Decisions
Managers all over the world embrace flow metrics and analytics to optimize their workflows and drive continuous improvement initiatives. And there is no doubt about it, this approach is foundational for achieving sustainable business agility and building resilience. However, here…
Your Board Design Can Make or Break Your Team Performance and Here Is Why (+ What to Do about It)
Where does the process of building predictable workflows start? What, first and foremost, needs to happen to enable you to make reliable delivery commitments and hit your targets consistently? Ultimately, achieving sustainable predictability begins with a shift in your perspective…
