Download - Personal kanban-workshop
Personal Kanban: Personal Kanban:
A worshop for an effective 2011 A worshop for an effective 2011
...or how to make your goals flow ...or how to make your goals flow into achievements :-)into achievements :-)
LeanAgileMachine.comLeanAgileMachine.com
Goals
● Define the problems faced when learning and developing
● Cover the basic of Kanban● Discuss the design choices for my Kanban
● The layout & values of my personal kanban boards● Explain how cards are designed to add greater value
● Give people confidence to try for themselves
What is the problem...
● Never have enought time to get everything done● Always more to learn● Something urgent comes up● New opportunities arise● Friends dragging you to the pub● Work to do, bills to pay, kids to feed...
● Window of opportunity for ”Getting stuf done” is limited
Cant you just pull your finger out!
● Too many things on todo list never get done● Busy all week but dont remember what I did / learnt● Working harder and longer not cutting it● Battling monsters from the id:
● overactive interest and imagination● Internet addiction● Attention deficit dissorder (?)● Need to cycle 200km a day
So workload is a problem
● What techniques could I used to help?● Muddle along and hope for the best● Change my career (tube driver)● Change my life (retreat to monestry)
● 2 techniques used to manage activities● Personal Kanban● Pomedero – Time boxing
Why try Personal Kanban
● To lean more about Kanban● Be able to introduce kanban technique to others
● To focus my training so I learn more● Study one thing at a time● Make sure I have learnt something – achieve goals
● It seemed like a good idea at the time● Kanban is fun, cool, creative and viral
What is Kanban ?
● A way to manage dependant events● Make your work visible● Limit your work in progress
● Avoiding multitasking – its inefficient
● Pull system● only work on a task once previous task is complete
● Help work to flow ● continuously and predictably deliver value
Simple design
Can be applied to Software development
Software projects design
Starting your board
● Find a suitable space to make a board● Use a whiteboard● Large area with sticky notes● Fridge with cards and fridge magnets
● Layout the board design● Plan (backlog)● Doing● Done
Simple Board layout
Visualising your situation
● Add all your current work● Things should get messy
● Add things you just recently completed● Helps with sense of achievement / gives confidence
● Put all the things you know you want to start doing in planning
Messy board example
● JR0cket board messy
Starting to organise your boardStarting to organise your board
What are your goals
● GROW approach to establishing goals● Goal – statement of what you want to achive● Reality – where are you in relation to the goal● Options – what are the ways to achieve the goal● Way forward – try one of the options
● Example goal
Persuade everyone I know..
to use open source software...
as their prefered choice for work and play
Goal Lanes
Inline Goals
Card design
● Card can have more than a title● Details of task
● Aims, activities, outcomes
● Due dates● Related tasks / goals
Example card
Lane design
● Value Stream mapping● What activies do you do to get things done
● Example:● Personal study / development● Any suggestions from the audience ??
Adapt and change
● Think about your WIP limits
● Think about your card design (write on both sides if you need)
● Where you keep your board ● Should be visible but not distracting
Kanban design for study
How did I build my Kanban
● Started simple with: Plan – Do – Done ● Used scrap of paper for initial design● Built a simple board and started using it
● Evolved into Plan – Do – Check – Act ● Evaluated deficits in board and enhanced
● Used online Kanban● So I dont need to cary a large whiteboard around
● Blogged what I had done to get feedback
Starting from scratch
Created basic lanes
Plan – Doing – Done
Started adding task cards
First card on the board, cool
Is something ready to study?
● Identify completed work between seperate board lanes
● Spilt the study board lane into two ● First new lane is the waiting state ● Second lane is the study activity
Edit the board design
Split the study lane
Tasks are progressing smoothly
Several minutes later
After adding a few tasks to the board....
Oh dear, my monsters are back
So What is missing ?
● I have a Kanban board● I am breaking my tasks down into relatively small
chunks
● But I still have far too much to do...
Lets apply the WIP !!!
● To sudy effectively I need to focus● To focus I need to work on 1 thing at
once● To work on 1 thing at once I need:
Work In Progress Limits
Refactor the tasks on Kanban
Add WIP Limits to Kanban
WIP Limits now applied
How do I know if I've learnt?
● Need a Check step after study● Encourages continuous improvement
● A lean principle
● Lets create a new lane on the board as a review stage
Add a Check Lane with WIP
Move tasks into new lane
Have a board, what next?
● Defined task cards in more detail● Limited by the tool I'm using though
● Pomodoro technique for time boxing tasks● Value stream mapping?
● Considered overkill for simple set of events
Defining the task card
● Set goal of task● Identify measure to check if goal reached
● eg. Can write a Kata in Scala● eg. Can design a Kanban board using VSM● eg. Write a summary of the book on blog, stating
why it is a valuable read
● Identify resources to assist training● Identify scope of training
● refactor task into multiple cards if too big
Why Pomodoro
● Limited time helps concentration● starting this presentation this morning focused me
● Easier to set and measure goals for a time boxed activity
● Helps break down tasks into managable chuncks
Pomodero – Timeboxing tasks
● Useful tool to focus mind on a goal● Helps stick to WIP limits and Idea of flow● Tasks have varying time limits during flow
dependant on size of task● Review: 5 – 15 minutes● Study: 30 minutes – half a day● Evaluate: 15 minutes – 1 hour● Blogging: continuous activity
Other learning techniques
● For programming languages● Kata● Dojo's● TDD / BDD
● Speed reading● Attending / Giving SkillsMatter talks & courses● Blogging and Tweeting
● leanagilemachine.com● @JR0cket
Summary
● I found Kanban increased my training effectiveness● I learnt alot about Kanban● I got feedback on my techniques by blogging● I got lots of feedback from this talk (hopefully)
● Its time for the pub if you dont have any questions ?
Resources
● LeanAgileMachine.com – lean agile blog● JR0cket.com / JR0cket.co.uk – tech stuff● SkillsMatter.com – podcasts, talks, courses● PersonalKanban.com – the resource for personal
kanban● LimitedWIPSociety.org – please get involved● The Goal – Eliyahu M. Goldratt – great read● Theory of Constraints – Eliyahu M. Goldratt
PUB
● Hat and Feathers● Left out of SkillsMatter● On the corner at main crossroads
● Walk to bar and buy several drinks – if you ask me a good question I may buy you a drink or two