The four disciplines of execution (4DX) is an exciting new framework that enables organizations to marshal their efforts and achieve what no one has ever done before. Organizations using 4DX have eliminated decades-long case backlogs, dramatically improved workplace safety, brought lifesaving drugs to market in record time, and transformed sales departments from worst to first. 4DX is not magic, it takes significant discipline to relentlessly focus on most “wildly important goal,” in the face of so many daily urgencies. Steve Jobs once said, he was as proud of what Apple does *not* do as he was about what Apple does. In this talk, we will explore the 4DX framework together with the principles of enterprise kanban to ensure that everyone in the organization can see a scoreboard that visualizes where we are, where we need to be, and how to get there. Finally, we will talk about how to get started, traps to avoid, and what to expect along the way.

1. Project Management Innovation Conference 2023
June 22, 2023, 1:30pm-2:15pm EDT
Leveraging the 4 Disciplines of
Execution & Enterprise Kanban
To Improve Government Services
Craeg K. Strong, CTO
Savant Financial Technologies, Inc.
d/b/a Ariel Partners

2. Agenda
1. About me
2. Problem Statement
3. Four Disciplines of Execution
4. Kanban Flight Levels
5. Putting it All Together
6. Key Takeaways
7. QnA

3. 6/24/23
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1. Ariel/ECS Relationship
About Me

4. Craeg Strong § Software Development since 1988
§ Large Commercial & Government Projects
§ Kanban Coach / DevOps Engineer
§ Kanban Trainer / SpecFlow Trainer
§ Performance & Scalability Architect
§ Certified Ethical Hacker
§ New York & Washington DC Area
CTO, Ariel Partners
AKT/AKC, FLG, CSM, CSP, CSPO,
ITILv3, PMI-ACP, PMP, CLP, SPC,
ICP-ACC, ICP-ATF, PSM-II, PSK
www.arielpartners.com
cstrong@arielpartners.com
@ckstrong1

5. Ariel Coaching/Training Courses
Atlassian Suite
1. Jira Fundamentals
2. Jira Intermediate
3. Jira Advanced
4. Jira Service Desk
5. Team Spaces in Confluence
6. Git and Bitbucket
Technical Practices
1. Specification By Example
2. BDD & Automated Acceptance Testing
3. Git and GitHub
4. Hands-On DevSecOps with Docker
5. Microservices Design Patterns
6. SRE: Site Reliability Engineering
7. AI/ML Bootcamp
Agile Transformation
1. Fundamentals of Agile
2. Agile for Leaders & Executives
3. Business Agility via Kanban Flight Levels
4. Human Centered Design
5. Agile Requirements: Story Mapping,
Splitting & Discovery Kanban
6. Agile Forecasting & Metrics
Agile Certifications
1. Team Kanban Practitioner
2. Kanban Management Professional
3. Value Stream Mgmt: Kanban Flight Level 2
4. Enterprise Strategy: Kanban Flight Level 3
5. SAFe Scrum Master / Adv SM
6. SAFe Product Owner
7. SAFe Release Train Engineer

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1. Ariel/ECS Relationship
Connecting Strategy to
Execution: Why is it so hard?

7. Connecting Strategy to Execution: Why is it so hard?

8. Three Critical Gaps
Outcomes
The difference between what
we want people to do and what
they actually do
Alignment Gap
The difference between what
we expect our actions to achieve
and what they actually achieve
Effects Gap
The difference between what
we would like to know
and what we actually know
Knowledge Gap
Actions Plans

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1. Ariel/ECS Relationship
The Four Disciplines of
Execution

10. Primary Barrier: The Whirlwind
WHIRLWIND
Required to Maintain
The Operation
BREAKTHROUGH
Requiring a Change
In Behavior
NARROW
FOCUS HERE

11. Discipline One: Focus on the Wildly Important
qTech: Fundamentally rethink our approach
to development so we deliver reliable and
secure software
qSpace: Send a man to the moon and bring
him safely back home
qJustice: Eliminate our rape kit and DNA
evidence backlog
qPharma: Dramatically reduce the time taken
from molecule to market
qHotel: Significantly improve customer
service
What is the one thing we could achieve that would produce the greatest possible result?

12. Discipline Two: Act on the Lead Measures
qIncrease Monthly Sales
§ Reduce Number of out-of-stocks
qIncrease Hotel Customer Satisfaction
§ Greet all guests at the front door
qImprove Workplace Safety
§ Increase Compliance with safety checklist
qDecrease perioperative accidents
§ Vocalize every step of the surgical tray audit
qIncrease average restaurant sales
§ Suggest the cocktail of the day

13. Discipline Three: Keep a Compelling Scoreboard
qSimple
§ Only a few pieces of data; click for details
qVisible
§ Up front and center
qDisplay Lead and Lag Measures
§ We can see what we are doing and what we
are getting
qObvious
§ I can see at a glance whether we are winning
Out
of
Stock
Week
Sales
Week

14. Discipline Four: Create a Cadence of Accountability
qMeet and discuss regularly
§ At least weekly
qNo discussion of whirlwind
§ The WIG, the whole WIG and only the WIG
qShort and Sweet
§ 20 minutes
qReview scoreboard and adjust as
needed
§ Account, Review, Plan

15. 4DX: The Four Disciplines of Execution

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1. Ariel/ECS Relationship
Kanban Flight Levels

17. Business Agility with Flight Levels
Most Whirlwind Activity
Tracked at Operational Level
Most WIG Activity
Tracked at Strategic Level

18. Elements of a Strategy Board: Drone Manufacturer
Wildly
Important
Goal
Become the leading
drone supplier in USA
for delivery of
essential goods to
remote areas
qBreak down the WIG into measurable outcomes at three horizons
qIdentify specific action(s) that will achieve the short-term outcome
qEach outcome acts as an indicator that we are making progress on the WIG
qReview and adjust at least weekly
A drone cluster can carry
a payload that is bigger than
what a single drone can carry

19. Pharma Example
Revenue
from
Anti-Cancer
Doctor
Presentations
Week
Become leading
supplier of anti-
cancer drugs in
USA
Long-Term Goals
2023 - 2025
WIG 1 Year Outcomes
By 31 Dec 2023
< 3 Months
By 30 June 2023 Next
In
Progress
Measure
Success
New lymphoma
drug to market
3 lymphoma
drugs in human
trials
5 lymphoma
drugs in animal
testing
Doctors have
40% better
awareness
Doctors prescribe
our drugs over
Competitor 20%
Doctors have
40% better
awareness
QRS
Formula β Mutation
Testing
Social
Media
Campaign
New
absorption
coating
Equipment
in
repair
Week
Quarter

20. Elements of a Strategy Board
Wildly
Important
Goal
Ready Hypothesize Refine Explore Validate
Ready 4
Engineering
In
Progress
Internal
Test
Send
Out
Initiative
Nano
Particle
Selection
Business As
Usual
Initiative
β Mutation
Testing
β Mutation
Testing

21. A Few Notes about Flight Levels
There are many other aspects of the flight levels model that we don’t have time to show here
q Lean Portfolio Management
§ We can effectively manage large portfolios with Flight Level Two/Coordination boards
q Lean Budgeting
§ We Assign budgets to Outcomes, not outputs
q Agile Interactions Between Teams
§ Activating and optimizing team-to-team interactions is a core FL practice
q Value is Generated at Every Level
§ New insights, initiatives, and strategies can come from the team level or coordination level.
Planning is not all top-down.
§ Mapping the sources of new information and the “flight route” they take helps us understand
who needs to be speaking with whom and how often
q Measure and Improve
§ We barely scratched the surface of FL quantitative approach to continuous improvement

22. Achieving Liftoff: How to Activate Business Agility
qNo re-org required. Start where you are now
§ Flight levels is for managing the work, not the workers
qStart where it makes sense
§ No “big bang” approach. Start small, but big enough to matter
qSpread organically
§ Horizontally to new parts of the organization
qLeverage Training and Coaching
§ Supplement internal change agents with consultants
qBenefits compound over time
§ Perfection is not required. Even small changes accrue benefits. Use what works.

23. 6/24/23
Confidential © Copyright Ariel Partners 2023
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1. Ariel/ECS Relationship
Key Takeaways
Q & A

24. Summary
qOrganizations Struggle to Execute on their Strategies
§ Knowledge Gap, Alignment Gap, and Effects Gap
§ Whirlwind
qFour Disciplines of Execution Help Us Break the Logjam
§ Discipline 1: Focus on one Wildly Important Goal (WIG)
§ Discipline 2: Act on the Lead Measures
§ Discipline 3: Keep a Compelling Scoreboard
§ Discipline 4: Create a Cadence of Accountability
qKanban Flight Levels Enable Us to Visualize, Collaborate, and Improve
§ Strategic Boards tie WIG to outcomes, and outcomes to tangible, concrete actions
§ These actions are copied down to team level, decomposed into day-to-day work items
§ Teams collaborate around strategy board
§ No re-org required: we manage the work and not the workers
q4DX + Kanban Flight Levels: Highly Effective Combination
§ Start where you are now, bring changes incremental
§ Benefits compound over time

25. Learn More
https://www.arielpartners.com/capabilities-statement
https://www.arielpartners.com/upcoming-courses
https://www.arielpartners.com/flight-levels
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