Kanban Learning Resources
Understanding Kanban
Kanban and Flow Definition
This competency provides a high-level overview of a Kanban system and its purpose. It also covers key components and when you may or may not want to use a Kanban system.
- The Kanban Guide (https://kanbanguides.org)
- The Kanban Pocket Guide (https://prokanban.org/kpg)
- The PSK Guide (https://www.scrum.org/resources/kanban-guide-scrum-teams)
Flow Theory / Pull Systems
This competency covers all relevant flow theory: queue/batch size, Little’s Law, utilization, ToC, etc. It also covers what a pull system is and pull’s relation to flow.
- The Art of Queuing – by JP Bayley, Actineo.xyz
- Theory 101: Thinking Processes of TOC by Julia Wester, EverydayKanban.com
- Theory 101: Five Focusing Steps of TOC by Julia Wester, EverydayKanban.com
- Business Efficiency? Watch the Ball, not the Player by Jose Casal, Actineo.xyz
- Little’s Law – Scrum.org Whitepaper
- Slack is not a dirty word: How ‘slack’ can improve your products. By Julia Wester, EverydayKanban.com
- Principles of Product Development Flow – Don Reinertsen
Basic metrics of flow
This competency covers basic flow metrics and the relationship between key data points.
- Books by Daniel Vacanti
- Actionable Agile Metrics for Predictability
- When Will It Be Done?
- Flow Metrics for Scrum Teams by Wilbert Seele and Daniel Vacanti
- 4 Key Flow Metrics and how to use them by Yuval Yeret
Systems Thinking
This competency covers why systems thinking is important to the success of flow-based systems.
- If Russ Ackoff had given a TED Talk… Systems Thinking byJP Bayley, Actineo.xyz
Designing and Operating a Kanban System
Definition of Workflow (DoW)
This competency covers how to look at your processes to discover your existing workflows and analyze them to define the policies in place for managing work. Based on DoW from PSK.
- Taming the chaos for managers: Learning to swim by Julia Wester on EverydayKanban.com
- First, decide what not to do by Julia Wester, EverydayKanban.com
- Benefits of WIP Limits by Rachaelle Lynn, Planview.com
- Can you afford not to limit work in progress? by Julia Wester on EverydayKanban.com
- Put your focus on Focus by Julia Wester, EverydayKanban.com
- Quit the Percentage Game: Make Focus Your Focus by Julia Wester, LeanKit.com
- https://www.scrum.org/resources/blog/kanban-service-level-expectations-and-how-use-them-scrum
- https://www.scrum.org/resources/blog/limiting-work-progress-wip-scrum-kanban-what-when-who-how
Visualization
This competency covers how to take the information generated from your discovery of your work and it’s workflow and use it to create a compelling, informative visualization that can be used to effectively manage the flow of work.
- Make your visualization about the work, not the workers by Julia Wester on EverydayKanban.com
- Sabotage by avoidance by Julia Wester, EverydayKanban.com
- 5 Steps to Customizing Your Kanban Board by Julia Wester, LeanKit.com
Active Management of WIP
This competency covers…
- Want to be more Predictable? Do These Two Things Every Day… by Julia Wester, Scrum.Org (talks about WiP and Work Item Age)
- Blocked cards: avoiding unnecessary drama by Julia Wester, EverydayKanban.com
Flow-based Events
This competency is about the purpose of, and effective strategies for, flow-based events: standups, retros, reviews, etc..
- 3 Questions to Ask During Standup to Keep Speed a Priority by Julia Wester on LeanKit’s blog
Predictability and Continuous Improvement
Flow-based Analytics
This competency covers the core flow-based analytics and how to use them to understand and improve your situation.
- Books by Daniel Vacanti
- Actionable Agile Metrics for Predictability
- When Will It Be Done?
- Why Vanity Metrics are Dangerous: Holding a Mirror Up to… by Julia Wester, LeanKit.com
- Can “Bad” IT Metrics Ever Be Good? by Julia Wester, LeanKit.com
Understanding Variability
Not all variability is bad. This competency covers how variability is handled in flow-based systems.
- Ticket Size Does Not Matter by Jose Casal, Actineo.xyz
Probabilistic Forecasting
This competency covers how to forecast and plan in uncertain environments.
- Books by Daniel Vacanti
- Actionable Agile Metrics for Predictability
- When Will It Be Done?
- Will We Make It — Cars, Maps and Software Projects (Continuous Reforecasting) By Prateek Singh, HackerNoon
- Create Faster and More Accurate Forecasts using Probabilities by Julia Wester, Scrum.org
Adjusting DoW and Pull Policies
This competency covers how to manage and improve flow by adjusting key components of your Kanban system.
- Don’t limit WIP – optimize it! – https://www.scrum.org/resources/blog/professional-scrum-kanban-psk-dont-just-limit-wip-optimize-it-post-1-3
Developing People and Teams
Lean Leadership
This competency is about what it means to be a Lean leader.
Respect for people
This competency is about what goes into the Lean Pillar of respect for people which is often hard to explain. (It may include things like self-direction, psychological safety and safety mechanisms, etc.)
- The Power of Relationships: Taking the first step by Julia Wester, EverydayKanban.com
- Basketball, Baseball and Agile Teams By Prateek Singh, Medium
Learning Organizations
This competency is about what Learning Organizations are and strategies for creating and nurturing them like Kata, A3s, set-based engineering and design, etc.
- “No thank you!” bites for teams by Julia Wester, EverydayKanban.com
- https://www.infoq.com/presentations/heauristic-learning-organization/ Karl Scotland, presentation on InfoQ (45:07)
Facilitation, Teaching, Coaching & Mentoring
- Why improvement initiatives fail by Julia Wester, EverydayKanban.com
Strategic Business Agility
Flow-based risk management
- Don’t Be A Ditka By Daniel S. Vacanti and Prateek Singh, medium.com
End-to-End Business Agility
- Conway Is Killing You And Little Is Helping By Prateek Singh, HackerNoon
- Strategy Deployment, the X-Matrix and Kanban Thinking by Karl Scotland, Availagility.co.uk
Organizational Design & Culture
Flight Levels and Scaling
This competency covers how to use Kanban systems to optimize flow through an entire organization.
- Scaling without scaling by Julia Wester, EverydayKanban.com
- Portfolio Kanban by Karl Scotland, Availagility.co.uk