The document discusses using kanban in operations teams. Kanban is a visual project management system that involves using cards to visualize work, limits on work-in-progress, and emphasizes continuous flow of work. It is well-suited for operations teams whose needs and priorities frequently change. Using kanban can provide mental freedom, increased throughput, improved communication and shared understanding within the team. The document provides examples of different kanban boards and encourages experimenting with kanban to determine if it is helpful for an operations team.

1. Kanban in OperationsAsh DallJanuary 2011

2. AgendaWhat is Operations?What is kanban?Why kanban in Ops?How can you use it?Kanban photosWill it suck or help kick goals?http://www.blgconsultinggroup.com/blog/bid/32799/6-Secrets-to-a-Great-Sales-Presentation

3. What is Operations?StuffInfrastructure, Software, DataPeopleLike building, technology, learning, sharingSocial (really!)Brothers in arms (empathy, respect, loyalty, trust)MethodsTech know-how & best practiceResearch; trial & errorProcessesMetricsPurposeMake sure services don’t go down, EVERMake sure services always run really fastChange things all the time without compromising (1) and (2).http://www.cloudave.com/1352/the-lego-internet/

4. What is kanban?Take a guess?CardTicketSignboardVisual boardVisual recordBillboardLean/JIT manufacturingToyota Production SystemPull vs push (minimize inventory)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muteki_Kanban_Musume

5. What is kanban (in IT)?http://www.agileproductdesign.com/blog/2009/kanban_over_simplified.html

6. SummaryVisualise project workTangible/interactiveAs a whole, priorities, status, owner etcTeam autonomy, no micro-managementLimit WIP = limit context switching = higher throughputReportableFlexible/dynamicA method of getting work donehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/ul_marga/755378645/

7. Kanban in Ops (1/3)Suits our type of work (needs & priorities shift daily)Mental freedomFocus on completing work not on what you have to completeTrust the system – light-bulb moments onto cards & get back to it!Low WIP limits & increase throughputhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/fright42/5328752861/

8. Kanban in Ops (2/3)Visual communicationsPriorities, work type, status, ownerInternal“What’s he working on? .. What’s that?”ExternalSay “no..” “because..”Say “yes..” and follow with a “when”Communicate with the teamWithout interrupting themWhen they’re not there!http://www.theage.com.au/news/technology/mobile-phone-inventor-dreams-of-human-embeds/2008/03/28/1206207352924.html

9. Kanban in Ops (3/3)Build shared understanding & responsibility through kanban, daily standups and discussion/estimationBreeds autonomy & discourages micro-managementMeasure team success – work type, throughput, cycle time, lead time, valuehttp://www.ateamvan.nl/origineel.html

10. How can you use it?Day in the life…0915: StandupPager report (0-2m)Any visitors? (0-2m)Updates – yesterday/today (2-5m)Review, estimate, place & prioritise cards (0-5m)Reward estimations (0-30s)Talk sh!t, Nerf one another & vandalize avatars (0-1m)0930 – COBCards flowNew cards collected, criticalsactioned soonerDaily/weekly/<n>:Top-up bribes, cleanup done, compile tehdatazRealize the world changes and so should your kanbanhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/jrwils/5330931885/

11. Some different kanbans [1/6]…http://www.flickr.com/photos/fright42/5329361286/

12. Some different kanbans [2/6]…http://www.flickr.com/photos/fright42/5328750879/

13. Some different kanbans [3/6]…http://www.flickr.com/photos/fright42/5329362036/

14. Some different kanbans [4/6]…http://www.flickr.com/photos/fright42/5328752361/

15. Some different kanbans [5/6]…http://www.flickr.com/photos/fright42/5328752861/

16. Some different kanbans [6/6]…http://www.flickr.com/photos/fright42/5329363742/

17. Will it suck, or help kick goals?It will suck ifYour standups run too longConch/talking stickRed cardsWhip crackers“Can we take that offline?”Stay positiveYou get hung up on estimationsSkip it if dipping a toe in the waterHelpful for reportingHelpful for estimating achievable workloadThink about how to get people talk about cards if not estimatingWork happens off the wallYou are inflexibleExperiment!http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6809644.html

18. Will it suck, or help kick goals?You will kick goals ifYou estimate quickly and wellExplain cards briefly but explicitlyShared understandingFlexibility on who can action the cardAnticipate how much work you can achieveCan provide customers reasonable estimationsReporting is enhanced (report on points)Estimate individually but as a teamUse “planning poker”Focus on getting work doneLow WIP limits (challenging in Ops!)http://www.dogsplayingpoker.org/stuff/simpsons.html

19. We want you!System Engineers x 3*NIX, IP, MySQL, Apache, CachingSystems & app performance tuningMonitoring & metricsAutomated systems deploymentSystems programmingFAST, Java/Tomcat, SOLRVirtualisation & cloudDevops, collaborative, inspired & passionatehttp://careers.realestate.com.au/http://www.flickr.com/photos/specialagent/4801839338/

20. Thank youadall@realestate.com.au@frighthttp://www.flickr.com/photos/fright42/http://careers.realestate.com.au/Questions?http://www.flickr.com/photos/amphotos08/5180975575/