In the software industry, it’s common to be on a project with an aggressive timeline. Even if the schedule was correct, plans don’t always go the way you expect and become off track. Teams end up working more extended hours, try to add people to the project or make other heroic efforts to try and “save the day’ and finish on time. In my experience, rarely have those efforts worked and when it did, the team was so burned out it took several weeks to get motivated to tackle another project. There should be a better way to complete projects on time, so teams feel a sense of accomplishment and are excited to take on the next project. In this session, we discuss three key behaviors you can do with your team, unlocking a better way to work to help the team succeed.

1. Overcoming DelayHow the Best Developers
Increase Productivity
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2. Please don’t reuse these
slides without permission
This presentation is copyrighted.

3. Paul Gower
Maker.
Stakeholder.
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4. Maker.
Started my journey playing video games.
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I’ve been writing code since 1992.

5. Stakeholder.
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6. Bridge
Both maker and stakeholder perspectives
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My leadership style was chaos and the death march
was my methodology.

7. I needed to find a
better way!
I became a student of Lean and Agile.
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8. Today’s Big Idea
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9. Outsmart the instincts that
create delay by mastering flow.
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10. Kanban
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11. Kanban is a set of organizing
principles and practices that
clarify how to unhide work
and optimize its flow.
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12. Kanban Card
A fast way to articulate the work that needs to be done.
As an online banking
customer, I want to
create an account
online so that I can
check my balance.
XL
Paul
Gower8/6
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13. Kanban Board
A simple way to communicate progress that everyone understands.
To Do Doing Done
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14. Stakeholders
and
Makers
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15. How does a team typically
respond when asked to
increase efficiency?
They work harder and longer.
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16. @paulmgower
Efficiency
1

17. @paulmgower

18. What metric could they use to
guide the discretionary time of
their employees to achieve
growth?
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19. Time in the air.
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20. What metric could be used
similarly for knowledge
work teams?
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21. Flow Efficiency.
The percentage of time spent adding value to the work we do.
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22. Busy means I’m
needed.
2

23. What is your
association
with busy?

24. @paulmgower

25. @paulmgower

26. To Do Doing Done
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27. —Greg McKeown
The word priority came into
the English language in the
1400s. It stayed singular
for the next 500 years.
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28. Limiting Work in Progress
Work that flows consistently produces higher output.
23 4
Options Design Develop Test Release
8
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29. Little’s Law
If the team isn’t busy, do more.
If the team is overburdened, do less.
In both cases, the team will increase output.
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30. Outsmart the instincts that
create delay by mastering flow.
@paulmgower

31. TestDevelop DoneBacklog
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32. @paulmgower
Push
3

33. @paulmgower
DriveThe Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
by Daniel Pink

34. What are the three factors
employers can use to motivate
employees?
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35. Autonomy.
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36. Purpose.
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37. Mastery.
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38. What is motivating
this developer?
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39. TestDevelop DoneBacklog
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40. All makers have
growth-driven
impulses.

41. What is the primary function
of an automobile?
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42. —Elon Musk
“Most cars are only in use by
their owners for 5% to
10% of the day.”
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43. You cannot reduce delay
if you are not actively
measuring it!
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44. Traditional thinking
recognizes work in three states.
Unstarted.
In Progress.
Done.
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45. Work actually exists in
four states.
Unstarted.
Underway.
Waiting.
Done.
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46. TestDevelop DoneOptions
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47. Work can be assigned to
everyone and owned
by no one.
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48. One simple
behavior change.
Insert an interrupter to prevent your impulse
to learn and grow from taking over!
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49. “I’m finished and I’m waiting
for this work to be taken
from me.”
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50. It’s called a
Pull System.
The only way work moves is if someone pulls it.
Team members are always communicating availability.
Cards are never lost because they always have an advocate.
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51. A pull system is an ownership-
driven system.
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52. Outsmart the instincts that
create delay by mastering flow.
@paulmgower

53. Pull System + WIP Limits
Eliminates overburdening!
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54. There’s more!
Before pulling new work, insert a second interrupter.
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55. Look for opportunities to
improve flow.
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56. DoneOptions TestDevelop
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57. UXRefine WriteOptions Edit Design Approve Develop Test Accept Done
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58. Self healing.
A healthy Kanban system preserves itself.
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59. Recap.
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60. Instincts.
Spaced repetition yields behavior change.
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‣Efficiency ➜ Flow
‣Busy ➜ Limit WIP
‣Push ➜ Pull

61. Before starting new work, look for opportunities to
improve flow.
Interrupters.
@paulmgower
“I’m finished and I’m waiting for this work to be taken
from me.”

62. Outsmart the instincts that
create delay by mastering flow.
@paulmgower

63. We teach Kanban.
Paul Gower
@paulmgower
paul@huge.io
http://huge.io/