Work Visualization

Ikenna Consulting | www.ikenna.net | @ikennacn
WORK
VISUALISATION
MAKE TRANSPARENCY WORK FOR YOU

THE GOAL
• Techniques to make you and your team
• Happier
• Prevent overwork
• Get recognition for the work you are doing
• Help catalyse change

THIS IS ABOUT
• Visibility and transparency

Transparency => Happiness

HOW TO MAKE WORK VISIBLE
1. Story Wall

2. Information
Radiators

3. Standups

CREATE AN INFORMATIVE WORKSPACE
“An interested observer should
be able to walk into the team
space and get a general idea of
how the project is going in
fifteen seconds. ”
– Kent Beck

3 BASIC STAGES ON A STORY WALL
•To Do
•In Progress
•Done

STORY WALL – TASK OR STORY TRACKING
•Story / task moves
across wall as work
progresses

•To Do: Prioritised list of
outstanding work

•In Progress:
Assigned task with an
estimated size or duration

• Done:
Have a definition of ‘Done’. Track
work done in a cycle/sprint

STORY WALL – BENEFITS
•Everyone knows the
status - better
communication

• Problems are more
visibile. Team
members
collaborate better

• Adding work to the
backlog makes you
think and guard
against scope creep

STORY WALL – SUGGESTIONS
1. Optimize for flow, not batch –
Theory of Constraints

STORY WALL – SUGGESTIONS
2. Develop a review cadence e.g
The standup

STORY WALL – FOR INDIVIDUALS
•Not just for teams!

•Know yourself!
• Your personal velocity
•WIP limit – optimise for flow!

•Work at a sustainable pace. At a
glance:
• Know whats left - Your ‘To do’ Column
• Congratulate yourself! (or not) – On
your ‘Done’ column

STORY WALL EXAMPLES
•Old school – paper and blue
tack

STORY WALL EXAMPLES
•Electronic
•Trello
•Jira

STORY WALL EXAMPLES – OUR BOARD
www.trello.com/lagosagile

INFORMATION RADIATORS
DISPLAY INFORMATION THAT MATTERS

INFORMATION RADIATORS
“An Information radiator is a display posted in a place where
people can see it as they work or walk by. It shows readers
information they care about without having to ask anyone a
question. This means more communication with fewer
interruptions.”
- Alistair Cockburn

WHAT KIND OF INFORMATION DO YOU WANT TO
RADIATE?
”If you have an issue that requires steady progress,
begin charting it. Once the issue is resolved, or if the
chart stops getting updated, take it down.”
– Kent Beck

RADIATE?
• Stories delivered (Burn down chart)

RADIATE?
• Production Server status and application metrics

RADIATE?
• Continus Integration status & Continuous
Delivery Pipeline – Build Monitor

RADIATE?
•Domain Model

RADIATE?
•Retrospective Actions

RADIATE?
•Other important stuff you should track
“Goals only work if you measure progress in
achieving them. What gets measured gets done” -
Guy Kwasaki

RADIATE?
•Remember: track the things you want to
change!

INFORMATION RADIATORS – HOW?
• Big Visible Charts
• Display Monitors
• Traffic Lights
• Glow Lamps

BUT WHEN SHOULD YOU NOT BE VISIBLE ? –
CONTRA-INDICATIONS
• Organisational / team culture of secrecy

BUT WHEN SHOULD YOU NOT BE VISIBLE ? –
CONTRA-INDICATIONS
• When you haven’t yet discussed the idea
of increasing visibility with your team
• Always get team buy-in first!

BUT WHEN SHOULD YOU NOT BE VISIBLE ? – ANTI-
• Discuss with some next to you: What one
idea from this talk would most useful for
you to implement ?

SO LETS
SUMMARISE!
IF YOU DON’T REMEMBER ANYTHING, REMEMBER THESE 3 THINGS:

SUMMARY – VISUALISATION PROMOTES
•Happiness and collaboration

•A sustainable pace

•The implementation of change

THE END

Work Visualization

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