I have frequently remarked that “traditional” analysis of service events and the plotting of data is highly misleading. This is due to a distribution of data that is neither symmetric nor normal. A useful data plotting tool for asymmetric, non normal data distributions is the violin plot. This article joins my series of articles concerning […]
Tools
When is a kanban tool not a kanban tool?
An indicator of the increasing popularity of kanban is the number of software tools and online services that claim kanban functionality. For those practitioners who have seen the tremendous benefits of kanban, this should be a gratifying development. But what does it really mean for a tool to support or to enable kanban? And what […]
How to select kanban tools
I am often asked what software tools are available to support the use of kanban. Many lists of such kanban tools already exist (see the end of this article) and I do not intend to repeat the same information here. Instead, I would like to explain my view of the architecture of kanban tools and […]
Using Sankey diagrams for kanban
A Sankey diagram is used to provide a visual analysis of flows. While it might be most commonly used to display the flow of materials through a distribution system, such as petroleum and its derived products, Sankey diagrams are well adapted to provide visual analysis of the flow of any type of work. Thus, they […]
How can a Marey chart help analyze the flow of work?
The type of diagram called a Marey chart might be more than a century old, but it can be a useful new addition to the arsenal of tools at the disposal of lean and kanban practitioners. What is a Marey chart? A Marey chart is commonly used to analyze transportation systems. It displays the times […]
Manifesto for Service Management Tools
The service management marketspace is populated with hundreds of tools, nearly all of which resemble each other more than they are distinct. Fundamentally, they are a place to log tickets of various types, to push those tickets to various roles for their updating, to document the structures upon which the handling of those tickets depends […]
Types of Tool Automation
Types of tool automation The fundamental difference between a software tool and most types of tools is that software can be programmed to automate one or more tasks. Most other tools do not automate work at all, only extending the capabilities of the wielder of the tool. Certain mechanical tools can automate a task, but, […]
On the architecture of IT service management tools
A common issue when implementing ITSM tools Often, while working on projects to implement a new IT service management tool, I have encountered the following remarks from one or more IT engineers. “Why are we implementing that new tool? Our team already has tools to do that.” To do what? Well, to manage the investigation, […]