Session Title : Infra Transformation – Lean for Business Agility with Continuous Improvement & Innovation Abstract: Infrastructure groups within IT/Engineering organizations tend to go to DevOps route rather unprepared. This is a case-study style talk about implementing a model of Continuous Improvement and Innovation (CI&I), based on Lean implementation journey within the context of Infrastructure groups within O&G vertical/domain. Organizations go thru' a journey with Lean practitioners, change agents and OCM (Org Change Management) experts, through phases such as Prep->Design->Accelerate->Enable->Sustain. During Prep phase, we map CI&I model to strategic imperatives that are part of execution plan for IT strategy. We use Design Thinking exercises and Lean Change Canvas to reinforce CI&I model. During Design phase, we use CI&I model to prioritize & establish value streams that matter for business agility. During Accelerate phase, we operationalize a Kanban system (- not just a visual board -) to run Lean Startup style 'experiments' for continuous improvement & innovation. During Enable phase, we get into teaching and training focused on the gaps found in VSMs (value stream mapping). This could be, for example, how to use Kanban for Infra ITIL/ITSM type of work, or it could also be introducing IoT or machine learning for a specific vertical/domain. During Sustain phase, we talk about skills matrix and growth, in terms of both leadership development and future state competency roadmaps that those leaders want to focus on, in terms of developing their people. In summary, this talk is about implementing a model of Continuous Improvement and Innovation, in any vertical/domain, products or services.

1. Case Study: Implementing continuous Improvement & Innovation
Infra Transformation Journey for Business Agility –
Implementing
Continuous Improvement & Innovation Model by
Leveraging Design Thinking, Lean Change Canvas, Lean
and Kanban
LKNA2019 (Lean Kanban India 2019), August 2-3, 2019
by Ravi Tadwalkar
in/rtadwalkar @tadwalkar rtadwalkar@gmail.com

2. What is Business Agility, in simplest terms?
We tend to define business agility
as follows:
To maintain competitive edge in ever
changing and mostly adverse business
conditions, by becoming & sustaining
to be lean enterprise. Enterprise
requires growth mindset to scale it.
Business agility is not a
specific methodology or even
a general framework.
It has nothing to do with Agile/Scrum
or Lean/Kanban. An excellent
reference: Why Agile isn’t Delivering
Business Agility
Processes & tools are just means to an
end (desired vision and outcomes).
Technical agility can create an effective
outcome with an efficient process, but
can not guarantee business agility!
Formally, business
agility refers to distinct
qualities that allow
organizations to respond
rapidly to changes in the
internal and external
environment without losing
momentum or vision.
Adaptability, flexibility and
balance are three qualities
essential to long-
term business agility. Four
useful concepts when
discussing business agility
include interactions, co-
evolution, self-organization
and the edge of chaos.
(source: hrzone.com
HR glossary)
Another formal definition of
Business agility:
the ability of an organization
to sense changes internally or
externally and respond
accordingly in order to deliver
value to its customers.
(source: agilealliance.org
Agile glossary)

3. Goals of VSM (value stream mapping)
• Main goal of VSM is to create value by finding sources of muda (non-value-adding
wastes), whether necessary or unnecessary:
• Other goals of VSM are to eliminate mura (unevenness) and muri (overburdoning)
Source: https://www.lean.org/lexicon/muda-mura-muri

4. 60 min
Design
Activity 01
Define the CI&I Model

5. • Begin with Systems Thinking mindset: “Stop optimizing locally, think of system as a whole“
• Categorizing inventory of VA (current & future), NVA and W stickies into meta VSM steps
• Visualizing this way creates outcome focus by learning to see bottlenecks to flow of output for an outcome
• WIP limits are only starting point to make work visible, and are adjusted as necessary
Sustain
F
E
I
Strategy
Provide
G
D
GY
PB
MN
2 ∞
AB
Design
Execute Deploy
Build Test Release
3 3
DE
Apply first way of DevOps:
emphasize on performance of
entire system by analyzing
value streams, WIP, lead times
& due date performance
3 3
-And- Respond
Work type 4
(10%)
Work type 3
(20%)
Work type 2
(30%)
Work type 1
(50%)
5
Visualizing Meta level VSM for IT Infrastructure
∞
Plan Portfolio
4
3
2

6. Current State VSM: Context of PC as a Service

7. “Current State” Value Stream Map – Identifying Experiments
Customer
Demand Management Actual Workflow(s) Post-Deployment
Customer
Demand
Configure Deploy
13-45 days 4-6 days ? days
Triggers:
- Incidents
- Requests
- email
walk-in
ServiceNow
- Refresh
- Transfers
- Local
International
Time
Ladder
(approx.) Lead Time. 52 d
Value Add Time 16 d
Non-VA Time 36 d
Electronic Information Flow
Infrastructure
3 days
15 days
10 days
30 days
WIP (Inventory)PUSH- scheduled before neededExternal source
LEGEND
Eliminate Waste
Time Analysis
Non-Value Add vs. Total
36/52 = 70%
Value Add vs. Total
16/52 = 30%
Value Add vs. Non-VA
16/36 = 45%
Illustration
Warranty/
Reuse
2 days
6 days
1 day
1 day
?days
?days
SupportProcure
- Check stock
Check for hot spares
- Order
- Personal credit card
- iProcure (Oracle)
- Receive from Vendor
- Shipping Time
- Pcard: Expense Report
- iProcure: One-Oxy
- Verify location
- Install peripherals if needed
- Provide company issued PC
- Asset Management update
- Update asset category
- Update machine owner
- Login as user to verify
- Redeploy: Move or re-assign
- Existing User
- Employee New Hire
- Contractor New Hire
- Loaner
Manage
Demand
- Communicate with
new hire coordinator
- Validation of data
Value Statement:
Delivering Usable,
Fully Configured,
Oxy Issued
Computing Device,
When Needed
- Compute Name
- Verify that apps are ordered
- Imaging (if not hot spare)
- Bit-locking
- Move to special OU if needed
- Validate list of apps to install
- Install Apps
- Data Migration for existing user
- Verify Data Migration
- Pickup loaner
- Termination trigger
- Remove User from AD
- Return usable machine to stock
- Reimaging to repurpose
- Move broken machine to disposal
- Setup disposal of assets
- Update inventory
- Incidents
- Monitoring
- Requests
- Repairs

8. Target State VSM: context of PC as a Service

9. CI&I Kanban Board:
context of PC as a Service

10. Current State VSM: Context of Office Moves

11. Target State VSM:
context of Office Moves

12. CI&I Kanban Board: context of Office Moves

13. Kaizen meeting: Context of Application Management VSM

14. 14
• Run experiments to deal with our inventory of VA (current & future), NVA and W
• Visualize flow of experiments (stickies below) to get rid of bottlenecks arising
• WIP limits are only starting point to make work visible, and adjusted as necessary
• Implement Lean Startup method to develop new ideas with Kanban system
• Begin with the end in mind: create “Stop Starting, Start Finishing“ Kanban mindset
Learn
F
E
I
Idea
Pivot
G
D
GY
PB
MN
2 ∞
AB
Develop & Test
Build Measure
MVP done Gather metrics Analyze data
3 3
DE
Explicit policy:
Experiment is “done”
when teams “learn”
to pivot or persevere
Lead time ends at
1st infinite queue
Lead time “clock”
starts at 1st queue
that has WIP limit
3 3
-Or- Persevere
Value Stream 3
(60%)
Value Stream 2
(30%)
Value Stream 1
(10%)
9
3
2
Expedite1
WIP Limits
based on
Value Stream
specific capacity
Lean Startup based Kanban System for Experiments
∞

15. Example of Lean Change Canvas- Why, What, How, When, Who

16. Prep
Weeks 1-2
Design
Weeks 3-4
Accelerate
Weeks 5-6
Enable
Weeks 7-8
Sustain
Weeks 9-10
Map CI&I Model to
strategic imperatives
& team activities
Establish CI&I Model &
Prioritize Identified
Value Streams
Operationalize CI&I
Kanban Board
Infra Academy
(Strategic Imperative
Education)
Future State &
Innovation Team
Mapping
• Align on strategic
imperatives
• Categorized inventory
of VAc, VAf, NVA + W
items
• Reinforce CI&I model
to guide the Business
Agility Transformation
progress
• Further categorized
Inventory for prioritization
• Topics for Infra Academy
• Work Management
mechanism
• Decision on Kanban
mechanism
• Top 3 VSMs
(Value Stream Maps)
• Validated learning with
Experiments on Kanban
board
• Kanban board with list of
prioritized experiments
specific to inventory of
VAc, VAf, NVA + W items
• Reinforce CI&I model for
progress validation
• Identifying Skills
Matrix using
Inventory & VSM data
• Increased awareness
on strategic
imperatives
• Reinforce CI&I model
for progress validation
• Establish innovation
teams
• Identify actions to
realize
• Reinforce CI&I model
for progress validation
Business Agility
Transformation
- Progressive
Roadmap
(Overview)

17. Prep
Weeks 1-2
Design
Weeks 3-4
Accelerate
Weeks 5-6
Enable
Weeks 7-8
Sustain
Weeks 9-10
Map CI&I Model to
strategic imperatives
& team activities
Establish CI&I Model
& Prioritize Identified
Value Streams
Operationalize CI&I
Kanban Board
Infra Academy
(Strategic Imperative
Education)
Future State &
Innovation
Team Mapping
Activity: CI&I Model Kick-off
Outcome:
Align on strategic
imperatives
A: Design Thinking
Workshop for CI&I Model
Mapping
Outcome:
Categorized inventory
of VAc, VAf, NVA + W items
A: Create Lean Change
Canvas
Outcome:
Reinforce CI&I model to
guide Business Agility
Transformation
A: Design Thinking Workshop
for CI&I Model Mapping
Outcome:
Further categorized Inventory
for prioritization; Topics for
Infra Academy
A: Design Kanban System
Outcome:
Work Management
mechanism
A: Create Kanban board
Outcome:
Decision on Kanban
mechanism
A: Prioritization Workshop
Outcome:
Top 3 VSMs (Value Stream
Maps); validated learning with
Experiments on Kanban board
A: VSM Workshops: Mapping
& Experiments Planning
Outcome:
Kanban board with list of
prioritized experiments
specific to inventory of VAc,
VAf, NVA + W items
A: Update Lean Change Canvas
Outcome:
Reinforce CI&I model for
progress validation
A: Skills Matrix Workshop
Outcome:
Identifying Skills Matrix using
Inventory & VSM data
A: Competency education on
foundational technologies
Outcome:
Increased awareness on
strategic imperatives
A: Update Lean Change Canvas
Outcome:
Reinforce CI&I model for
progress validation
A: Map each persona to future
state competency, roadmap
Outcome:
Establish innovation teams
A: Barriers and enablers
Outcome:
Identify actions to realize
A: Update Lean Change Canvas
Outcome:
Reinforce CI&I model for
progress validation
Business Agility
Transformation
- Progressive
Roadmap
(Detailed)