from commonsense, physics and maths to kanban

From Commonsense, Physics and Maths

to Kanban

Tathagat Varma http://thoughtleadership.in

World’s Worst Traffic Jam, Beijing-Hong Kong-Macau Highway, 6-Oct-2015

Why did it happen?

• New checkpoint merged 50-lane highway to 20 lanes, thereby creating a bottleneck

https://i.imgur.com/99KvQhf.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/99KvQhf.jpg

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/05/the-science-behind-traffic-jams-infographic/

https://youtu.be/Suugn-p5C1M

http://ww2.kqed.org/lowdown/2013/11/12/traffic-waves/

http://nextshark.com/why-traffic-jams-happen/

Let’s consider software

Incoming OutgoingAction

Scenario A:Incoming < Outgoing

Incoming

5/hour

Outgoing

5/hour

Action

10/hour

Scenario B:Incoming = Outgoing

Incoming

10/hour

Outgoing

10/hour

Action

10/hour

Scenario C:Incoming > Outgoing

Incoming

20/hour

Outgoing

10/hour

Action

10/hour

Scenario D: Mixed priority incomingIncoming

URGENT: 2/hour

NORMAL: 8/hour

LOW: 10/hour

Scenario E: Random arrival times

Incoming

5/hour…..10/hour…..8/hour…..20/hour…..13/hour…..

Real Life:A + B + C + D + E +…

Scrum Task Board

Challenges…

• No congestion-control • No priority-handling • High(er) Work-in-Progress

Kanban System

Kanban Board

Lean Kanban• Visualize the workflow

• Limit Work-in-Progress

• Measure and Manage Flow

• Make Process Policies Explicit

• Evaluate improvement opportunities

A sample workflow

Limit the WIP!

Measure the flow

Swim lanes

Prioritisation based on Class of Service

Benefits of Kanban

• Congestion control: Continuous flow

• Inventory control: Prevents overproduction

• Better visibility: Visualisation of work flow

• Higher adaptability: Priority-based scheduling

References• This insane Beijing traffic jam will make you thankful for your commute, http://mashable.com/

2015/10/07/insane-beijing-traffic-jam/#37uMD44tkkq4

• Here’s the Physics Behind That Insane Chinese Traffic Jam, http://gizmodo.com/heres-the-physics-behind-that-insane-chinese-traffic-ja-1735638335

• What are Traffic Waves and Why Do They Happen So Much?, http://ww2.kqed.org/lowdown/2013/11/12/traffic-waves/

• A Mathematician has the Perfect Explanation for Why Traffic Jams Happen, http://nextshark.com/why-traffic-jams-happen/

• Solving the Traffic Congestion Problem, http://www.ncpa.org/pub/ba773

• Kanban Highway: The Least Popular Mario Kart Course, https://danslimmon.wordpress.com/2015/06/05/kanban-highway-the-least-popular-mario-kart-course/

• What is a Kanban Board, http://www.swiftkanban.com/kanban/what-is-a-kanban-board/

• Kanban Reference Card, DZone