Queuing theory and its application in Large Scale Scrum. Queueing theory offers insight into why traditional development is unnecessarily slow—and what to do about it. In large-scale development, it’s common that ‘one’ feature (before splitting) is staggeringly gigantic. In such domains, it is particularly helpful to see that large batches and long queues actually exist and the problems they cause. It’s hard to fix a problem you don’t know you have. And queueing theory points to some ways to improve. This thinking tool is especially relevant for the large scale because big variable batches of work—so common in the traditional model—have a nonlinear impact on cycle time—they can really mess things up,

1. Agile, Scrum and
Large Scale Scrum
Thinking tools: Queuing Theory

2. About me
Srikanth Ramanujam
Coaching agility in Organizations
- 15+ years as Agile practitioner
- Several multi-year
transformations
- Have taught and coached Agile,
Scrum, Large Scale Scrum to
100’s of teams
- Focus on Organization design
through Antho-complexity,
Lean and Systems Thinking
- Enabling people in large
ecosystems helping them adapt
to new mental models
Candidate Large Scale Scrum Trainer
Candidate Professional Scrum Trainer
Cynefin Foundations Trainer
MBA - Technology Management, La Trobe University
Scrum Alliance: CSM, CSPO, CSP-SM, CSP-PO, CAL (CAL1/2), Candidate CTC
Scrum.org: PSM-I, PSM-II, SPS (Nexus), Candidate PST
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Cognitive Edge: Cynefin Foundations Trainer, Sensemaker
Phoenix Project game certified facilitator - DevOps and Business simulation
PMI: PMP, PMI-ACP
Disciplined Agile: CDAP, CDA
Scaled Agile: SA, SPC, SPC4
IC-Agile: ICP-ACC
Change: Lean Change Management, Management 3.0, Viral Change
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3. Large Scale Scrum: The
Principles...

4. Queues...
Picture courtesy: This is Lean: Resolving the Efficiency Paradox by Niklas Modig, Pär Åhlström

5. Queues...
Picture courtesy: This is Lean: Resolving the Efficiency Paradox by Niklas Modig, Pär Åhlström

6. Queues...

7. Videos:
Phantom Traffic jam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHzzSao6ypE
https://youtu.be/Rryu85BtALM

8. Learnings from Queuing theory
● Reduce # of Queues
● Reduce number of items in Queues
● Eliminate queues or minimize # of Queues
● Lesser work densities are much faster (at 50% load)
● Small batches of frequent work (reduces cycle time), can
also adapt to market changes
Source: https://less.works/less/principles/queueing_theory.html

9. In the game of silos… queues form in each silo
Picture courtesy: This is Lean: Resolving the Efficiency Paradox by Niklas Modig, Pär Åhlström

10. To a game worth playing and watching - eliminate queues!
Picture courtesy: This is Lean: Resolving the Efficiency Paradox by Niklas Modig, Pär Åhlström

11. Practices that reduce queues in software development...
Branching is Evil!

12. Recommended reading
● Managing the Design Factory by Don Reinertsen is a classic introduction on queueing theory
and product development.
● Flexible Product Development by Preston Smith was the first widely-popular general product
development book that introduced agile software development concepts—including Scrum and
Extreme Programming—to a broader audience. This text includes an analysis of queueing theory
and variability, and their relationship to development.
● https://less.works/less/principles/queueing_theory.html
● The Goal - a novel about “Theory of Constraints” -- Eliyahu M. Goldratt.
● This is Lean: Resolving the Efficiency Paradox by Niklas Modig, Pär Åhlström

13. Contact LinkedIn: Srikanth Ramanujam www.TheMadAgilist.com
Twitter: @TheMadAgilist https://twitter.com/TheMadAgilist
Instagram: @TheMadAgilist https://www.instagram.com/TheMadAgilist/
Facebook: @TheMadAgilist https://www.facebook.com/TheMadAgilist/
LinkedIn group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12023940/
Slideshare: https://www.slideshare.net/SrikanthRamanujamMBA
Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/LeSS-TO-Large-Scale-Scrum-Toronto/
Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/SystemsThinkingTO/
Blog: https://turnonadime.business.blog/
Blog: https://50shadesofscrum.wordpress.com/