This training course teaches students that delivering software functionality using Kanban is radically different than traditional waterfall project management. Rather than plan, instruct and direct, Kanban utilizes a Lean “pull” implementation to guide work through the process. Using Kanban enhances organizational agility, improves visibility of work flowing through the process and provides greater transparency for impediments that inhibit throughput. In this course, participants learn how to implement Kanban and all the controls or reporting necessary to monitor the flow of work. Labs, case studies and examples are used to bring home the realization of how to implement Kanban.
In addition to the labs that are part of the training curriculum, an optional day is available where our instructor will work with your organization to design a roadmap for implementing Kanban using the existing processes. This session culminates with a Kanban board that can be used immediately for making work visible.
2 or 3 days
This course is appropriate for anyone who is inexperienced with working on or with Agile teams. It is equally suited for teams and organizations exploring how to use Agile, those beginning their Agile journey and those who are currently struggling with Agile implementation. This course helps ensure students are prepared to begin using Agile more effectively and professionally.
There are no prerequisites for this course.
- Understand the origins of Kanban, the theory behind it and how it relates to agile software development
- Know how to complete a “Value Stream Mapping” and what to include
- Comprehend throughput and how to organize the work
- Grasp how to manage the process and the input queue
- Understand options for tuning the Kanban implementation
- Comprehend relevance and implementation of key metrics
- Kanban Overview and Introduction
- House of Lean
- Defining Kanban
- Motivation for Kanban
- Kanban Implementation Best Practices
- Kanban Flow
- Adopting Kanban for Existing Teams
- Lab – Push vs Pull Systems – Airplane Lab
- Value Stream Mapping (seeing the big picture)
- The Value Stream
- Making Work Visible
- Value Stream Lab (Part 1- Defining the Start and the End)
- Card Walls
- Demand Analysis
- Allocating Capacity
- The Work Card
- Value Stream Lab
- Part Two – Designing the Card Wall
- Throughput
- Identifying Work Item Types
- Sizing Work Items
- Building User Stories
- User Story Lab
- Story points
- Visual Control
- Pull vs. Push
- Theory of Constraints
- Service Levels: Class of Service
- Throughput Application Lab (Incorporating Class of Service into the Card Wall)
- Managing the Process
- Daily Standup Meetings
- After Meetings
- Queue Replenishment Meetings
- Release Planning Meetings
- Triage
- Geographically Dispersed Teams
- Improving the Process
- The Importance of Cadence
- Limiting Work-In-Progress
- Identifying Bottlenecks
- Removing Waste from the Value Stream
- Lab – The Pull vs Push – Airplane Lab Part Two (Kaizen)
- Key Metrics Review
- WIP
- Lead Time Throughput and Measuring Flow
- Blocked Work
- Quality
- Failure Load
- Lab – Ball Flow Game with Cumulative Flow Diagram Demonstration
- Day Three – Optional Summary Session
- Lab – Putting It All Together
- This lab is devoted to incorporating specific Kanban principles into current in-house issues. Students will provide real examples of work flow and work with the instructor to get the foundation for Kanban setup
- Deliverable: A card wall the students can begin using immediately
- Lab – Putting It All Together
