leading continuous improvement - agile alliance · pdf filepractice continuous improvement in...

Leading Continuous Improvementin Established Agile Organizations

What’s the state of agile methods in your organization?

Level Set

What’s the state of agile methods in your organization?

Do you actively and explicitly practice continuous

improvement in some form?

Level Set

A Definition of Lean Thinking

A way of thinking that enables organizations to“specify value, line up value-creating actions in the best sequence, conduct these activities withoutinterruption whenever someone requests them, andperform them more and more effectively.”

Womack & Jones

specify value Customer defines “value”

line up value-creating Map the Value Streamactions in the best sequence

conduct these activities Maintain continuous flowwithout interruption

whenever someone Customer pullrequests them

perform them more Practice continuousand more effectively improvement

A Definition of Lean Thinking

Five Principles of Lean

Value (From Customer’s Perspective)

Value Stream(Steps that Add Value)

Pull(On Demand)

Perfection(No Waste)

Flow(No Stops & No Piles)

Canonical Agile Through a Lean Lens

Iteration commitments



(Large?) batch sizes



Delivery every n weeks




Delivery every n weeks


Discontinuous flow,delayed delivery

Lean Wastes in Software Development

1.Defects2.Inventory3.Over-processing4.Waiting5.Motion6.Transportation7.Overproduction

Suboptimal (but common) Agile Practiceand the Seven Deadly Wastes of Lean

Proxy customeror PO


Also: Leads to “push” systemLeads to large batches


Lack of technicaldiscipline


Also: Causes re-workCauses technical debt


Non-collocatedteam


Also: Causes reliance onindirect communication


Agile for codersonly, sequentialprocess for BAs, testers


Also: Causes re-work, lengthenslead & cycle times


Start all storiesat the beginningof each iteration


Also: Lengthens lead & cycle timesDestroys continuous flow

Multitasking from an Individual Perspective

Multitasking Not multitasking

Day 18:00 – 8:30 Task 1 8:00 – 12:00 Task 18:30 – 8:45 Context switch 12:00 – 13:00 Lunch8:45 – 9:15 Task 2 13:00 – 17:00 Task 1 (Done)9:15 – 9:30 Context switch9:30 – 10:00 Task 310:00 – 10:15 Context switch10:15 – 10:45 Task 110:45 – 11:00 Context switch11:00 – 11:30 Task 211:30 – 11:45 Context switch11:45 – 12:15 Task 3

Best case: No blocks


Day 112:15 – 12:45 Lunch (short)12:45 – 13:00 Context switch13:00 – 13:30 Task 113:30 – 13:45 Context switch13:45 – 14:15 Task 214:15 – 14:30 Context switch14:30 – 15:00 Task 315:00 – 15:15 Context switch15:15 – 15:45 Task 115:45 – 16:00 Context switch

Best case: No blocksMultitasking from an Individual Perspective


Day 116:00 – 16:15 Context switch16:15 – 16:45 Task 216:45 – 17:00 Context switch17:00 – 17:30 Task 3 (overtime)

Day 28:00 – 8:30 Task 1 8:00 – 12:00 Task 2 8:30 – 8:45 Context switch 12:00 – 13:00 Lunch8:45 – 9:00 Task 2 13:00 – 17:00 Task 2 (Done)9:00 – 9:15 Context switch

et cetera

Best case: No blocksMultitasking from an Individual Perspective

Best case: No blocks

With multitasking it takes 8 days to complete three 8-hour tasks with short lunch breaks and a bit of overtime.

Without multitasking it takes 3 days to complete three 8-hour tasks with good focuson the work and low stress.

Multitasking from an Individual Perspective

Multitasking from a Team Perspective

Backlog Acc. Test Code (TDD) Acceptance DoneDay 0


Backlog Acc. Test Code (TDD) Acceptance DoneEnd of Iteration

From queuing theory:L = λWqueue length = average arrival rate x average wait time

Little’s Law

As applied to SW development:Throughput = WIP / Cycle Time

Little’s Law

Throughput for the Multitasking Team

WIP = 8 storiesCycle Time = 8 daysThroughput = 1.0

Limiting WIP to Improve Throughput

Backlog Acc. Test Q Code (TDD) Q Accept. DoneDay 0 2 2


Backlog Acc. Test Q Code (TDD) Q Accept. DoneEnd of Iter. 2 2

Throughput for the WIP-Limiting Team

WIP = 8 storiesCycle Time = 0.6 daysThroughput = 4.8

Multitasking at the Portfolio Level

• Total cost is 4.8 times higher (for this example)• Lead time (concept to cash) is 4.8 times longer• Opportunity costs and risks are higher• Staff stress is higher, staff turnover is higher• Recruitment / training overhead is higher• Defect rate is likely to be higher• “Business agility” is likely to be lower• Responsiveness to customers is lower


Pull teammembers outto deal withtactical issues


Also: Lengthens lead & cycle timesDestroys continuous flow

Effect of Removing Team Members

Thanks to Tom Looy


Keep individual“resources” busy


Also: Lengthens lead & cycle times,Destroys continuous flow

Keep Individual “Resources” Busy

Analysis Programming Testing



Iteration 1

Iteration 2

Iteration 3

Invader Zim’s Process Improvement Method

Team builds to user stories,

ignores -ilities

Expand user story format to include

all details

Poor quality!

Better quality!

Present new & improved Agile at next conference

Worse…or better?

無駄 muda

斑 mura

無理 muri

Activity that does not add value

Unevenness in flow

Overburdening

The Three M’s

Priorities in a Lean Software Development Process

Backlog Acc. Test Q Code (TDD) Q Accept. Done

Inventory is “waste” by definition, but…



…eliminating the queues would causemuda (delays) when work is not ready…

X X?



…and muri (overburden) when too much work is in play.

X X

Uneven Flow is the First Domino

muraunevenness of flow


1. Value

2. Flow

3. Removing waste

To Maintain Continuous Flow…

Control WIP

Let’s Talk About Real Cases

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