A key assumption underpinning kanban is that context switching in work performed by people—the inevitable by-product of multitasking—leads to considerable waste. When individuals perform knowledge work, the impact of context switching resolves, in part, into the question of whether the human brain can multitask efficiently. Therefore, it is useful to understand the neurological basis for […]
Posts
Lean configuration management: a conundrum
How does a purely internal activity like configuration management add value to customers? Would a customer gladly pay you for your configuration management activities? Keeping your configurations under control is hardly value adding in the same way as, for example, increasing the utility of a service. And yet, good configuration management underpins virtually all service […]
10 Kanban Misconceptions
When I ask people what they think about kanban, why they do not use it or why they show little interest in learning about it, I sometimes receive surprising answers. Clearly, there are many misunderstandings about kanban, many misconceptions about what it is, how it works, who can use it and what its benefits are. […]
If you don’t have time for kanban training, you need kanban training
I recently asked people why they do not take kanban training. Many of them said they simply don’t have the time for it. Well, that is a strong indicator that they really need to use a time-saving method like kanban. Let me explain why you truly do have the time for kanban training and why […]
To whom is kanban useful?
I have been providing services based on kanban for several years now. Surprisingly, when asked if they are interested in kanban, many people respond that it doesn’t concern them. Why do I say, “surprisingly?” Because it is hard to imagine a situation where using kanban would not provide very important and durable improvements. So, to […]
Kanban training vs. lean training
Kanban is at the core of lean practices Why get kanban training? Taiichi Ohno, one of the founding spirits of the Toyota Production System (TPS), called kanban the “operating method” of the TPS.1 Insofar as TPS is the basis for what we call lean management, kanban is of central importance to lean. I would […]
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 […]