Busting the Blocked Column Myth

Sarah Harper, PMP, CSQA, ICP-ATF
@sarita1119
http://bit.ly/bustblock

Fact: Your Kanban board is not set up to accurately show the blocked
items.

 We tend to order our experience in a manner that is
regular, orderly, and recognizable.
 Help us determine what design elements to use for a
given situation.
 Influence our visual perception, allowing us to direct
our attention to specific places, take specific actions,
and create behavioral change.
 Design something that is intuitive to use.
1. Figure-ground
2. Common Region
3. Similarity
4. Proximity
5. Continuity
6. Focal Point
7. Closure

Elements are perceived as
either the figure (element of
focus) or ground (background).
Tells us what to focus on and
what to safely ignore.

User Story XYZ
Lorem ipsum dolar sit amet,
consectetur adipiscing elit, sed
do eiusmod tempor incididunt
ut labore et dolore magna
aliqua.
123.abc
Make the cards appear in the
foreground.
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc

When objects are located within
the same region, we perceive
them as being grouped
together.
Borders help.

Make sure you have clear
regions.
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc

When elements appear similar,
we group them together and
tend to think they have the
same function.

Change the blocked cards to
look different.
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc

Things close together appear to
be more related than things
spaced farther apart.
Proximity overrides similarity

Elements arranged on a line or
curve are perceived to be more
related than elements not on
the line or curve.
Lines follow the smoothest
path.

User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
If this is my blocked column,
where is this blocked at?

No more Blocked column!
Swim lane for Blocked
Proximity to the status we are
blocked in.
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc

Whatever stands out visually
will attract and hold our
attention.

Add something to draw
attention to the blocked items.User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc
User Story XYZ
aliqua.
123.abc

We try to find one recognizable
pattern when we look at a
complex arrangement of visual
elements.

 Foveal system permits 100% visual acuity. It
has the highest concentration of cone cells
and a very high resolution.
 Peripheral vision is outside the very center
of gaze.
 Takes random samples and our brains fill in
the gaps.
 Important because
 Provides clues to the fovea to move our eyes in
the direction of the important thing in the visual
field.
 Make something POP to get attention
 Use color sparingly to allow users to notice
changes easier.

Fact: If the team were motivated to address the blocks, you would not need
the blocked status.

The degree to which people believe that they have
control over the outcome of events in their lives, as
opposed to external forces beyond their control.

The organism learned that it is
helpless in situations where
there is a presence of aversive
stimuli, has accepted that it has
lost control, and thus gives up
trying.
Self-handicapping is a cognitive
strategy where people avoid
effort in the hopes of keeping
potential failure from hurting
self-esteem, or managing the
impressions of others.

“An SEP is something we can't see, or don't see, or our
brain doesn't let us see, because we think that it's
somebody else's problem…The brain just edits it out, it's
like a blind spot.”
- Ford Prefect, Life, the Universe, and Everything
Bystander Effect
You notice the event, and take notes
of the events are are transpiring.
Realize that there is an issue.
Either assume responsibility, or
assume that others will assume
responsibility for the situation
Either recognize that you have the
knowledge to help the situation, or
acknowledge that you don’t know
enough to be helpful.
Either act to help the situation, or
simply remain an observer.

Fact: Using a Blocked column to track some metrics will make others less
accurate.

Time in Blocked Status Flow Efficiency
𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑘
𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑘 + 𝑊𝑎𝑖𝑡
∗ 100% = 𝐹𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝐸𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦

Cumulative Flow Diagrams
 Visually shows the flow of
the work through the
system
 Does not decrease!
 Time always moves forward
 Work Items are only added
Time
WorkItemCount

To Do In Progress Dev Done Validation Blocked Done
User Story XYZ
Lorem ipsum dolar sit
amet, consectetur
adipiscing elit, sed do
eiusmod tempor
incididunt ut labore et
dolore magna aliqua.
123.abc
Status Date
To Do 9/1

User Story XYZ
amet, consectetur
eiusmod tempor
123.abc
Status Date
To Do 9/1
In
Progress
9/3
2

User Story XYZ
amet, consectetur
eiusmod tempor
123.abc
Status Date
To Do 9/1
In
Progress
9/3
Dev Done
Validation
Blocked 9/7
2 4

User Story XYZ
amet, consectetur
eiusmod tempor
123.abc
Status Date
To Do 9/1
In
Progress
9/3 (9/9)
Dev Done
Validation
Blocked 9/7
2 4 2

User Story XYZ
amet, consectetur
eiusmod tempor
123.abc
Status Date
To Do 9/1
In
Progress
9/3 (9/9)
Dev Done 9/11
Validation
Blocked 9/7
2 28
6 + 2

User Story XYZ
amet, consectetur
eiusmod tempor
123.abc
Status Date
To Do 9/1
In
Progress
9/3 (9/9)
Dev Done 9/11
Validation 9/12
Blocked 9/7
2 28
6 + 2
1

User Story XYZ
amet, consectetur
eiusmod tempor
123.abc
Status Date
To Do 9/1
In
Progress
9/3 (9/9)
Dev Done 9/11
Validation 9/12
Blocked 9/7 9/13
2 8
6 + 2
1 1

User Story XYZ
amet, consectetur
eiusmod tempor
123.abc
Status Date
To Do 9/1
In
Progress
9/3 (9/9)
Dev Done 9/11
Validation 9/12 (9/14)
Blocked 9/7 9/13
2 8
6 + 2
1 1

User Story XYZ
amet, consectetur
eiusmod tempor
123.abc
Status Date
To Do 9/1
In
Progress
9/3 (9/9)
Dev Done 9/11
Validation 9/12 (9/14)
Blocked 9/7 9/13-
Done 9/15 2 8
6 + 2
1 3
2 + 1
0

 Cumulative Flow
Diagram is no longer
accurate!
 In Progress and
Validation are
artificially inflated, and
Blocked is artificially
deflated.
User Story XYZ
amet, consectetur
eiusmod tempor
123.abc
2 8
6 + 2
1 3
2 + 1
0

 In this example, flow
efficiency is actually
78%, but using just the
timestamps it
calculates to 100%!
User Story XYZ
amet, consectetur
eiusmod tempor
123.abc
2 8
6 + 2
1 3
2 + 1
0

Fact: Taking a micro-scope approach is wasteful and doesn’t encourage
kaizen.

 Principle 2
 Work processes are redesigned to eliminate waste.
 BLOCKED = WASTED TIME
 Who swarms to the blocked column?
 Principle 5
 Build a culture of stopping to fix problems
 The act of moving (waste) the item to the blocked column sets it to the side.
 Principle 11
 Respect your extended network of partners and suppliers by challenging them and
helping them improve.
 Use your Influencer skills.

 Any Kanban status which acts as a
“holding pen” for work items will
eventually turn into a black hole.
 Once a sufficient number of items
are blocked for the same reason, it is
concluded that those item types will
always become blocked.
 It becomes acceptable for the team to
allow items to easily move to the
status and stay there.
 Time seems to slow down inside the
status.
 No work appears to be done to the
outside observer.
Black Hole Refresher
 Form when the gravitational pull of
the object is too great for it.
 Once an item passes the event
horizon of the black hole, it cannot be
observed.
 Time stops at the event horizon.

 We must accept that we are responsible for items that get blocked.
 We must not ignore blocked items by moving them to the side of the board.
 We will not allow excuses to get in the way of clearing a block.
 We will not push all blocked work items onto one person to address.
 We will swarm to the blocked items as a team.
 We will perform root cause on blocked items to apply a kaizen mindset.

 Unless you will always be blocked at the same point in your flow, get rid of the
blocked column.
 Prepare for the backlash you will get.
 Stand firm.
 Design your Kanban board to showcase the blocked work, highlighting where it is
blocked.

Busting the Blocked Column Myth

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Busting the Blocked Column Myth

Editor's Notes